


my heart always comes home

by Hosieteam



Category: Legacies (TV 2018)
Genre: #HosieWritings, Alternate Universe - Music, Alternate Universe - No Powers, F/F, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Friends to Lovers, Implied/Referenced Homophobia
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-24
Updated: 2021-02-01
Packaged: 2021-03-11 04:55:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 24,930
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28279488
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hosieteam/pseuds/Hosieteam
Summary: Hosie fake dating AU for the #HosieWritings—Co-writer : Malia (@hosiewritings on twitter)
Relationships: Alaric Saltzman & Josie Saltzman, Hope Mikaelson & Lizzie Saltzman, Hope Mikaelson & Penelope Park, Hope Mikaelson & Rebekah Mikaelson, Hope Mikaelson/Josie Saltzman, Josie Saltzman & Lizzie Saltzman, Maya Machado & Hope Mikaelson, Maya Machado/Penelope Park, Milton "MG" Greasley/Lizzie Saltzman
Comments: 35
Kudos: 144





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> To understand :
> 
> \- Hope, Josie and Lizzie are best friends.  
> \- Josie and Lizzie aren't sisters.  
> \- Hayley and Klaus are dead.  
> \- Josie is the daughter of Alaric and Jo.  
> \- Lizzie is the daughter of Caroline and Stefan.  
> \- Rebekah is single and Hope's godmother.  
> \- Penelope is the daughter of Rebekah.  
> \- Maya is the girlfriend of Penelope.  
> \- Landon is the ex-boyfriend of Hope.  
> \- Landon arrived at school after Josie left so they had never met, only know each other through Hope.
> 
> If you have questions, don't hesitate.

Landon broke up with Hope two weeks before the Switch On opening party. He said something like "you and I are no longer a couple", gave few explanations among which the typical "we are not compatible" and left without looking back. It wasn't long before Lizzie came running over to Hope who had started crying.

"Hey, what's up?" Lizzie asked, wrapping her in her arms.

  
"Landon just dumped me."

Hope spoke through her tears but Lizzie understood instantly and her face hardened. Nobody wanted to mess with Lizzie Salvatore.

"I'm going to kill him."

The last time Hope cried was at the funeral of her parents. Lizzie felt sad when she remembered it. Her best friend had cried enough in her life, she definitely didn't deserve this.

"Come on, Hope. I'll take you home."

Then she led her toward the exit.

As they walked through the park, Lizzie decided to talk to the auburn-haired girl.

"Do you want to tell me?"

Hope turned her head to look at her friend.

"How could he do this to me? We have been together for ten months!"

Lizzie didn't say anything, just reached for her friend's hand. Neither of them spoke after that, they continued in silence until they reached the Mikaelson house. As expected, no one was home. Hope's godmother had been her legal guardian since the girl's parents had passed away. The woman was still working and Lizzie was glad she was.

"Go to your room, I'll be there in a second."

Hope didn't argue, she just shrugged and went upstairs to go to her room. Lizzie sighed, she knew that she will have to have patience for her friend to express herself about her feelings. She grabbed ice cream from the fridge and quickly made her way to the room. The sight broke her heart. Hope was curled up on the bed and was crying. Lizzie set the ice cream on the nightstand before going to bed and hugging her.

"I have ice cream," she whispered softly. "We can call Josie and eat ice cream, what do you say?"

  
"I hate Josie."

Lizzie smiled.

"No, you don't. You always say you hate her, but deep down you miss her."

  
"That's why I hate her."

Josie is the third head of this friendship, but she moved to Italy for a year because of her father's job. It's been almost twelve months since she left and Hope is the one who has the hardest time accepting her absence.

Hope pulled away from Lizzie's arms and sat on the bed. The other girl did the same. Hope gestured for Lizzie to give her ice cream and the girl gave her. After taking it, she turned on her computer. It took her a couple of seconds to find Josie's name and video call her.

Unfortunately, the call didn't get an answer.

Then Hope angrily caught her ice cream as Lizzie took the initiative to screen Teenage Bounty Hunters on Netflix.

An hour and a half passed during which the girls watched the program without saying a single word. Then Hope broke the silence.

"I hate him," she said.

Lizzie looked at her and immediately saw the tears on her cheeks.

"I hate him," she repeated.

Lizzie sighed.

"Boys suck. You deserve more than that."

Hope gave her best friend a tearful smile.

"I can give you a hug?"

Lizzie looked at her with a loving grin.

"Don't ask, just do it."

* * *

It had been a week since Landon broke up with Hope. She did her best to hide how she felt about this. She won the art contest for the week, finished her song for her music class, and even got top marks in all of her classes. Still, Lizzie knew it was all just a distraction. The blonde haired girl watched whenever Hope looked at Landon, only to be crushed when he wasn't looking at her. Things got worse a day when the boy showed up with another girl. Lizzie was already fed up.

"You need to make him jealous," Lizzie declared at lunch.

Hope looked at her in surprise.

"What?"

  
"What you heard. You need to show that idiot what he lost."

  
"And how do you think I could do that?"

Lizzie smiled at her with conviction.

"Getting you a date for the Switch On party."

"That will not work. He knows everyone here."

Lizzie thought for a second before answering.

"Then we need to find someone he don't know. Let me handle it."

The bell rang before Hope could protest, and Lizzie left, leaving her behind. The auburn-haired girl loved her best friend dearly, but she knew she might have some questionable plans. Most of the time, Hope tried to stay away, but now she was directly involved.

Hope sighed, just hoping that all of that didn't turn against her.

* * *

After class, Lizzie practically dragged Hope until her house. Hope was a little scared to see so much emotion on her friend's face. It couldn't mean anything good. Lizzie laid out everything when they got to her room.

"The math teacher wasn't there, so I spent the last hour looking for a solution to our problem, and you know what? I didn't find anyone worthy of interest."

She threw herself on the bed.

"So why do you seem so excited?"

  
"I'm getting to the point, let me finish."

  
"I hear you."

  
"I texted Josie because I was obviously bored and I got some unexpected news."

  
"What about our Josie? Is she okay?"

  
"Yeah, she announced to me that she will be back earlier than planned, that she will be there next weekend."

And the smile that reached Hope's lips was the most anticipated of the week.

"Just in time for the Switch On opening party," Lizzie added with a smirk.

* * *

Another week had passed after the news. Lizzie didn't bring up the date again, and Hope thought it was better that way. Anyway, they had something else more important waiting for them. The big day had arrived. Josie was coming back today. They had to meet her at the party.

"Hey, can you hurry up?"

  
"Relax Hope, you always stress about nothing. We still have time."

  
"Sorry, I can't stand it anymore. I'm excited about reuniting with Josie."

  
"Me too, it's going to be so epic."

  
"Why do you say that?"

  
"I'm ready. Let's go."

They made it to the party without any problem. The party was in full swing. Maya and Penelope, the owners of the place, were already present. They are a famous couple in the artistic world. Penelope was also known to Hope as her cousin, daughter of her godmother.

Seeing her ex-boyfriend take the stage, Hope remembered that she had recommended him as an artist to perform tonight before he became her ex. She couldn't deny that he was talented, but now she regretted the help she had given him.

However, she couldn't help but watch his performance until the end. Happily for her, Lizzie was too busy with a cute boy she had just met to realize the weakness of her friend.

"She's here."

Lizzie returned to Hope's side just in time to see Josie enter. Hearing the blonde's statement, Hope's eyes flew to the entrance. She met Josie's gaze and time seemed to freeze for both of them as huge smiles played on her lips. When the two were finally a step apart, they hugged each other tightly. And Lizzie came to hug them too.

"I missed you so much," Hope whispered to her.

  
"I missed you so much too," Josie replied, hugging her tighter.

  
"Yeah, I missed you too. Thanks for caring, huh."

That was a sarcastic Lizzie. Josie looked up at her and said softly "I love you", making herself immediately forgive. Lizzie responded with another topic.

"It's time to stick with the plan."

It was the precise moment that Hope came out of the clouds.

"What plan are you talking about?"

Lizzie was already leaving. Then Josie took Hope by the hand to lead her where the blonde was heading.  
They stopped at the streaming room.

"Can you explain what we do here?" Hope asked.

  
"Did I ever get you in trouble with my ideas?" Lizzie added.

  
"Yes," Hope answered.

  
"No," Josie answered at the same time.

Lizzie ignored Hope and began:

"Josie and I discussed your situation with Landon and found a way to help you. You two are going to come in and sing..."

And Josie completed: "And then you will officially introduce me as your girlfriend."

Hope was stunned by what she had just heard. Her best friends had gone crazy. There was a moment of panic in which she explained that she was not gay, that it would not work, that it was crazy, but finally she let herself be convinced by the arguments of her best friends and when it was time to finish singing, Hope officially announced their relationship in streaming.

"Hi, I'm Hope and she's my best friend, Josie. And more than a friend, she is my pretty girlfriend."

* * *

This beautiful sight. These smiles painted on her lips, these little lights of emotions dancing in her eyes. The infinite hug they were giving each other. Lizzie thought she could stay forever, watching her two best friends share this moment of complicity.

Of course, Jed, who works for Switch On, arrived to regain control of the tablet. To calm things down, Lizzie smiled to apologize without really feeling guilty for what she had done. The girls appeared alongside her friend in the next minute, ready to be scolded.

Surprising them, Jed said nothing, simply explicitly asking them not to touch all of this without his permission next time and then congratulating them on the relationship and that things had gone well. Apparently, their presentation was already viral on the Internet.

The three girls briefly apologized, promised not to do it again, and thanked him for the congratulations before heading back to the party.

They thought they would enjoy the rest of the night in peace, but Landon appeared. Lizzie glared at him, Hope looked at him nervously, and Josie suspicious.

"Hope, can we talk?" He said without paying attention to the others.

  
"What do you want?" Lizzie asked.

Josie put her hand in Hope's.

"Hope," insisted Landon looking at the joined hands of the girls.

  
"Leave her alone," Lizzie warned.

  
"Please."

Hope put her free hand on her friend's shoulder before she kills her ex.

"It's okay Lizzie, I'm going to talk to him."

Lizzie turned to Hope. "Are you sure?"

"You don't have to," Josie continued, holding her hand.

"Yes."

She unconsciously leaned in to kiss Josie's cheek.

"I'll be back quickly."

* * *

They went out on the terrace of the place and there Landon spoke.

"You lied to me all this time."

Hope turned to him, surprised.

"What are you talking about?"

  
"You never loved me, it was just a game for you."

  
"Excuse me? You're the one who broke up with me."

  
"You told me she was your best friend. And now she is here and it turns out that she is your girlfriend. Do you really think I'm an idiot? There is only one possible explanation and that is that you have cheated on me all this time."

  
"I could never cheat on the person I'm dating."

  
"Because you are going to make me believe that overnight she went from being your friend to your girlfriend? That they suddenly fell in love? The truth is that she has been your girlfriend since all this time and you used me while she was not there."

Hope was furious.

"You're a fucking idiot. You have no right to come and throw a fit. You have no right to judge me and pretend things that are not."

  
"So what?" he yelled. "Where is the truth in all this?"

  
"The truth is that I do what I want and I don't owe you any explanation. It's you who has been dating another girl since last week and it was you who put an end to our story, it wasn't me. I can be with who I want now. And it doesn't matter if I've loved Josie for ten years, months, or days. I'm with her and it's not your fucking problem."

And then she moved away from him to meet her friends again. Hope had never been so rude before, but with Landon Kirby on the way, there's always a first time.

"You're not even gay," he yelled as she walked away.

Hope didn't answer because she couldn't take any more bullshit.

* * *

Hope found her friends talking to Penelope and Maya.

"Hey, are you okay?" Maya asked when she reached them.

  
"Why are you crying?" added her cousin with concern.

Hope put her hand to her cheek to wipe a tear away. She hadn't even realized that she was crying.

"It doesn't matter, it's over. What were they talking about?"

Obviously, they didn't force her to speak, they simply answered her question.

"So it wasn't planned at all, but we have good news," Lizzie said.

Hope looks confused. "What?"

"The Hosie hashtag is already trending," Penelope reported with a big smile.

"Hosie?"

  
"The ship's name for Hope and Josie," Josie explained.

  
"Your couple is already competing with ours," Penelope pointed out, kissing the cheek of her girlfriend. "And that's after just one song."

  
"So they want you and Josie to be the first artists to join them," Lizzie said with excitement.

  
"To be officially the first star couple of Switch On," Josie stressed.

  
"What do you thing about that?" Penelope finished.

* * *

"Why did you say no? You're crazy."

Lizzie.

"She didn't say no, she said we had to discuss it among ourselves first."

And that was Josie.

"But it's good news for both of you, there's no need to think twice," Lizzie insisted, settling into her bed.

  
"Have you thought about what that implies?" Josie asked her. "They asked us to be the center of attention, not only as artists but especially as a couple. Our famous couple who is only a lie. It is not just about singing, it would be about faking a relationship beyond what was planned. For now it can still be taken back, we can say it was a joke. Whereas if we accept, it would be like coming out of the closet. One thing that would have a greater impact on our lives, that will go far beyond Landon Kirby. What will people and our families say? Because if you don't remember Lizzie, being gay can still be a problem in the society we live in. People are still judged, discriminated against and mistreated by people."

"This whole thing is... crazy" Hope intervened. "We have to tell the truth."

  
"What did Landon tell you?" Lizzie asked.

  
"He's furious and probably jealous. I don't know, it was very contradictory. He first said that I've used him, that I was already dating Josie while I was dating him, that I've used him while she was not there. And then when I was leaving, he said that I wasn't even gay. As if he could know for me."

  
"I still wonder how you could date this guy," Josie said.

  
"I'm curious about that myself," added Lizzie.

  
"So neither of you two love my ex boyfriend and nobody thought to tell me before? What kind of friends are they?" Hope asked.

  
"The kind that respect your decisions," Josie replied with a soft but sad smile.

  
"What are we going to do girls?" She sighed hopelessly as she sat down next to her friends on the bed.

Josie put her hand on Hope's leg. An innocent contact that they had already shared more times than they could say but still the gesture surprised the auburn-haired girl.

"We should tell the truth before all this gets out of our control."

Hope put her hand on Josie's and smile.

"Let's do that," she whispered.

Lizzie watched the scene silently, aware of more than she had admitted to her two best friends because she knew she could not speak or act for them.

But she knew, she had understood it all long before that night.

* * *

It was three o'clock. Lizzie slept in her bed and the other two girls were on their backs on a mattress on the floor of the room. Neither of them slept, they just couldn't because they had too many questions in mind. What were the correct answers?

"H?" Josie called in a voice almost nonexistent.

  
"Yes?" Hope replied in the same tone.

  
"I'm sorry I've been gone so long... I'm sorry I wasn't there when you needed me the most."

Josie waited for an answer that didn't come.

So, to understand what was happening, she turned to her friend. Seeing her body tremble, she realized that she was crying. Her own heart broke. And then, with what little strength she had left, Josie did the only thing that probably reflected how she felt: she hugged Hope with all the warmth of her body. Her chest against her back and her nose against her neck.

"Thank you for coming back," she finally sighed with a broken voice.

Josie smiled, tears in her eyes.

"I'm not going anywhere anymore. I promise."

Hope put her hand over her friend's, holding her as tightly as possible, and from that moment on, no other words were spoken.

A few minutes later, gently shaken by the sounds of their breathing, they fell asleep.

* * *

Lizzie woke up long before her two best friends, and the scene of infinite tenderness that she witnessed from her melted her with love. So much that she didn't have the courage to wake them up like she normally would have.

Instead, she left them in their private bubble and got up to get ready. After all, she was eager to get back to Switch On. Because who knows? She might see the gorgeous boy she had talked to at the party. It had really been nice and there was no doubt that it was the first time she had felt something like that for someone. She couldn't lose the chance to feel it again.

When she came back from her shower, the girls were awake, staring at Josie's phone with shy smiles on her lips.

"Hi, girls!" Lizzie exclaimed enthusiastically. "Do you have any news?"

  
"People are absolutely great," Josie stressed. "There is always hate somewhere, but in general there are a lot of fans out there who literally thank us for existing."

  
"I feel so bad for lying to them," Hope added.

  
"I thought about it, girls, and in a sense, your relationship isn't fake."

They were both surprised.

"What do you mean?"

  
"That the two of you love each other. Even if it's not how they see it, you two have always been friends and have this incredible complicity. You could still be of great help to all those people who don't have enough influence to change things. You two could be the key, the voice of change. I'm not saying lying is good, I'm just saying lying here could be beneficial in raising your voice. Give power to love."

  
"You already know that it's not just the two of us. You know my father, he won't understand," Josie explained.

  
"It is precisely to change the mentalities of people like your father that, from my point of view, you should continue. But again, this is just my opinion, I would support you whatever your choice is."

  
"What do you say?" Josie asked Hope after a moment of silence.

  
"I'd do anything if it's with you," Hope declared. "If you in, I'm in."

  
"Okay, let's do it."

And Lizzie smiled, victorious.

* * *

Switch On was officially open. Upon arriving at that place, and after having seen the success of last night's party on Internet, the girls were not surprised to see so many people everywhere. However, what surprised them is the number of people who asked for photos and autographs along the way. It was strange being the center of attention. Fortunately, no one had asked for details about Hosie's relationship yet. This allowed the girls to just act like they always had until now. After all, they were first and foremost friends.

Lizzie dumped her two best friends the moment she saw Mg. Who was Mg? He is the boy the girl met at the party. She hadn't admitted it, but it was obvious there was something between them. A first time for the girl because boys her age used to be half bad with relationships. In any case, it was pleasant for her friends to see her smile and thanked the young man for being the reason for such happiness.

But that's not what really mattered now. What was mainly interesting is that Penelope and Maya were there too, along with Jed. Which suited them because Josie and Hope had to inform them of the decision they made as a result of the proposal they made.

In this way, the brunette and her companion looked into each other's eyes, held hands before advancing with conviction towards the others.

"Buongiorno a tutti!" Josie exclaimed.

  
"Hi!" Maya said.

  
"How do you feel?" Jed added.

  
"We're fine," Hope answered. "We are here to accept the offer."

Penelope smiled proudly.

"Perfect timing because we were just talking about your relationship. We were already thinking about your music and it would be great if we could record your first single these days for release this weekend."

"So early?" Hope gets stressed.

  
"It is always necessary to add more fuel to the fire before it goes out," Maya explained.

Fair enough metaphor.

"Do you want to record ** _I have a song_**?" Josie asked.

  
"In fact, we think another unreleased song would be better because **_I have a song_** already being shared on streaming thanks to yesterday."

  
"But we don't have another song," Hope was alarmed again.

It was at this very moment that Josie remembered the song she wrote during her journey. Of course, she didn't mention it because it was a very personal composition and she knew that sharing it could ruin everything.

"So I guess it's time to get to work," Josie joked.

  
"I'm sure you will surprise us," Penelope encouraged them.

  
"Now we have to go but we'll see you in two days, girls. That way, we can see what you managed to write and you can sign the contract," Maya said.

Penelope and Maya said goodbye and left.

"Would you know where I can find Lizzie?" Jed asked.

  
"The last time we saw her she was heading to the terrace."

  
"Thanks, see you later."

And Jed left too, leaving the girls alone.

* * *

It's been hours since the girls got to Switch On and Lizzie kept disappearing. Which suggested that all was well in the land of love. As for Josie and Hope, they were both in some corner, trying to compose something. Seeing them so discouraged with crumpled papers everywhere and an empty sheet, it was clear that inspiration had not caught up.

"It doesn't work," Josie angrily placed the guitar next to her.

Hope took the opportunity to come and wrap her arms around her.

"It's better if we give up for today. We may have better luck tomorrow."

Josie rested her forehead against the auburn-haired girl's cheek.

"I'm sorry," the brunette whispered. "I..."

Hope interrupted her.

"You don't have to apologize. We are in this together, you and I."

Josie smiled.

"We should find Lizzie and go home."

  
"Definitely. Let's go."

Hope got up and held out her hand. Josie accepted it and they went hand in hand in search of her friend.

* * *

The girls found Lizzie where she had gone earlier in the day. And obviously, the situation was as they suspected. She was talking with the boy from the party, a huge smile on her lips.

"Hi, guys!" Josie said them.

As Josie said these words, Lizzie raised her eyes. "Hey, girls!"

She pointed at the boy. "He is my new friend Mg."

He smiled with the beautiful, kind smile that he has.

"Hello. Nice to meet you. I've heard a lot about both of you."

"At least you're one step ahead of us."

He began to laugh.

"Well, the best way to fix it is to chat over dinner," suggested Mg.

Lizzie was extremely enthusiastic about the idea. So naturally, her friends followed her to offer her one more time with her boy. And who knows, maybe the two will inspire them.

* * *

They had arrived at the Mystic Grill after a short walk. It was a fairly simple but very comfortable place and the waiter had already taken note of their order when Mg decided to start a conversation.

"So how long have you been dating?" Asked the boy.

Of course, the girls were not prepared for this question. So they took a moment to drink as slowly as possible to have time to think of an answer. It was Josie who finally spoke.

"Let's say it's complicated because I was in Europe for a whole year and I only came back yesterday."

  
"Long-distance relationship?" added the boy.

Josie looked at Hope and took her hand.

"H and I have been friends forever but it is all very recent. I started to realize that my feelings went beyond friendship shortly before I left, but obviously since I was going to leave for a year I preferred to shut up and remain her friend and not start a long distance relationship. Hope dated someone else during my absence, but he broke up with her. As I knew i was going to be back soon, I decided to confess everything."

  
"And I'm glad you did," Hope commented, shaking her partner's hand more.

Lizzie suspected that there was some hidden reality in Josie's words and that it wasn't all acting. She also knew that Hope felt better since yesterday and that the return of her best friend had a lot to do with this change of mood. But again, she made no comment. She just watched everything patiently, a sneaky smile on her lips. Everything was quite clear to her: her two best friends were completely blind.

"I understand your decision," Mg stressed. "And I'm glad you got your happy ending."

  
"Thank you," Josie said, smiling at him. "Me too."

And she turned and smiled at Hope, who smiled back. After that moment they remained silent for a while, looking at each other with great tenderness. It was very nice, almost romantic, to see how everything fit together. But then the waiter came with the plates and broke the little bubble. When the man finally left the table, the nervousness and shyness of the two girls showed.

* * *

As they left the restaurant, Mg suggested to Lizzie that he accompany her to her house. To give privacy to her friends, the blonde kindly agreed to be escorted by the boy. Of course, the two didn't leave until the girls warned the boy that they would kill him if he to do something to Lizzie. And they made her friend promise that she would call when she will be safe and sound under the duvet of her bed. Which she did, grateful that they care for her safety.

Josie and Hope were left alone, walking the streets of the city. They hadn't said anything yet, but they instinctively seemed to go to the auburn-haired girl's house because it was the safest place if they wanted to try to write or speak quietly. Josie's father was not very understanding while Penelope's mother, Hope's godmother, always treated them with great affection.

When she got home, Hope came in carefully because she didn't know if her godmother was already sleeping or not. The young woman was surprised to find her in the kitchen with her cousin and Maya.

"Sweetheart, what a joy to see you..." Rebekah said, welcoming Josie in a warm hug. "Penelope just informed me of your return, how are you?"

"The feeling is mutual, thank you. And I'm fine, happy to be home," Josie smiled at Hope again with that soft look that says it all.

And then Rebekah added a few thoughts of her own:

"And now that they made their relationship official, I can say that I am glad you realized that Lennon was not for you and that you love Josie since forever."

  
"Landon," Penelope corrected her.

  
"It doesn't matter," the woman exclaimed. "Hosie succeeded."


	2. Chapter 2

Hope thanked God when her phone rang. That allowed her to escape the shameful situation her godmother had put her in. She took the call in the next room, ignoring the name that had appeared on the screen. She immediately regretted her choice when she recognized her ex's voice on the other end of the phone.

Was saying her name a curse?

"What do you want?" the auburn-haired girl asked dryly.

Okay, maybe she had a lot of bitterness in existence.

"Well, I wanted to apologize for yesterday," the boy explained.

"You were rude and disrespectful to me, Landon. I need something more concrete than just an apology," the girl stressed. She took the opportunity to sit on the couch before adding, "I appreciate the effort you've put in, though."

"You're right, I'm a fool. I shouldn't have talked to you like that, it was silly to react like I did. I know you have the right to do what you want and love whoever you want. Yesterday... yesterday was nothing more than jealousy. And I know you probably don't understand 'cause I'm the one who ended our relationship, but that's because I always thought we were on the same page until one day I realized it wasn't true. I should have explained it to you when I broke up. It wasn't fair for both of us to continue a doomed relationship. I guess I should have been sincere from the beginning."

"I'm not sure I understand where you want to go."

"I do love you, Hope Mikaelson. I just understood that it wasn't reciprocal long before yesterday, and that is one of the reasons why I ended it all. You deserve to be with someone you love with all your heart and even if it hurts, I am not that person."

Hope was speechless. She would have liked to tell him that he was wrong, that she loved him. But deep down she knew that he was right, that she loved him very much, but that it did not go beyond a friendly relationship. So all the hatred she had felt for him for the past few weeks was gone.

"I'm sorry, Landon. I wish we had realized that sooner."

"I'll be fine, don't worry. I just hope Josie is lucky enough to be the one."

At that moment, Hope wanted to disappear because she couldn't tell him that she had pretended to go out with Josie to get him back. A fact that seemed so ridiculous and unnecessary now that she had just realized that she really didn't want it back. Even more since dating her best friend had found other reasons to subsist.

"Josie is very special to me."

She had expressed it in a sweet voice, and although she had said it to keep her secret, those words were still true. Josie had always been of the utmost importance in her life. The two were like two halves that couldn't exist without each other.

"Well, I'm happy for you. Have a good night."

"Bye, Landon. Thank you."

And she hung up and went back to where she came from. In the end, it was worth answering the phone.

* * *

Once she was back in the kitchen, the others looked at her curiously.

"Who was that?" Her godmother dared to ask.

"Lennon," the auburn-haired girl replied in a mocking tone.

"Okay, I deserved it," Rebekah said with a smile on her lips.

"Lizzie texted with her mother's phone to say she was safe at home," Josie said.

Hope turned to her.

"Are you staying the night?"

  
"Sure," she brought up her phone. "I'm going to let my parents know."

Then, she left the kitchen.

"Only one rule: the door to your bedroom remains open," Rebekah warned.

Hope blushed. It's not that they're going to do anything other than sleep. After all, they were only friends, although they had pretended otherwise from the day before.

"Yeah, sure. Good evening everyone," the girl added before following her friend's footsteps.

She had to get out of the kitchen before she died of embarrassment.

* * *

Finally alone in Hope's room, the girls sat down on the bed. After a minute of silence, Josie asked the inevitable question.

"So did Landon call you?"

"Yes, he apologized to me."

"How are you?"

"I'm fine. After all, I like to think that we're friends now."

"Won't you go back to him?" the brunette asked, biting her lower lip.

"I'm with you now," Hope said, smiling at her. "Or have you already forgotten?"

Josie only laughed to hide the obvious nerves. "Sometimes I forget how lucky I am."

"He and I talk and we agree that we are not made for each other."

"I couldn't pretend otherwise," Josie added, muttering.

"You don't even know him," argued Hope, who had heard it all.

"Trust me, I don't need to know him to know that you deserve more than a guy who's dumb enough to let you go."

"Um, thank you," simply replied the auburn-haired girl who had already reached for the mirror in her closet. Her cheeks were burning. "Can you help me take this thing off?" she asked her, pointing to the zipper of her dress.

It wasn't the first time Josie had done it, but even so, her hands were shaking and her heart was racing. The gesture was slow and sensual, and Hope seemed as feverish as her best friend. Since they had started the fake relationship, every touch seemed to make them nervous. Or rather, it had always been the case, but now it was much more intense because they realized what was happening.

At the end of the task, Josie pulled away from her and Hope grabbed her pajamas in her closet before leaving the room. The brunette took the opportunity to breathe again.

Then Josie took, as she had always done all these years, a pajama from her friend's closet to change into at night.

* * *

The girls found themselves on the bed again, with the door open. They were under the duvet, the light off. The nerves was already gone to give way to their habits. Indeed, when lying down, Hope had naturally slipped into the arms of Josie who held her without protest.

"I love you... a lot," the brunette whispered.

She waited but never received an answer because Hope had already fallen asleep. Then, she kissed her forehead and closed her eyes in turn.

In the morning, the alarm clock rang. It was time to get ready for class. Hope had woken up a few minutes earlier, but she didn't want to leave the warmth of her friend's arms. When she woke up, Josie also didn't find her will to release her. On the contrary, she clung even more deeply to her mate.

"I suggest we stay like this forever," Josie said in a sleepy voice.

"And I suggest we get up so we're not late for class," Hope replied with a chuckle.

"If it were my turn to choose, I would not hesitate for a moment to choose the former."

"That's how you deal with problems," the auburn-haired girl stressed.

And, before Josie could react, Hope began to tickle her. Laughing, the brunette begged her to stop, but Hope continued until she realized they were in a very intimate position. During this little war, she had placed herself on the body of her friend to prevent her from escaping from her. Now she was the one who couldn't run away. Her laughter stopped and she stared at Josie, mesmerized by her lips. A thought crossed her mind that brought her back to reality. She panicked and ran out of her room.

"Hurry up and get ready to go," she yelled at Josie from the bathroom.

In front of the mirror, Hope took a moment to breathe. On the bed, Josie gasped and she seemed to have the sunshine in her gaze.

What had happened to their brains in the last few minutes?

* * *

As expected, the girls were late for class. Luckily, the teacher decided not to take this into account and they were able to attend class without any setbacks. It was the music class, their favorite.

Upon leaving, the girls decided to go to Josie's house so they could pick up some of her songbooks. As for Lizzie, she decided to go straight to Switch On because she had a date with Mg. The three agreed to meet in that place later so that the blonde could give the details of her moments with the boy.

Of course, when she got home, Josie remembered that she still hadn't unpacked yet. So the girls had to do it together to find what they had come for. Obviously, Hope is the one who got hold of the songbook first and before the owner of it could realize, she had opened it. She turned the pages one after another. There was nothing she didn't know, nothing until she got to the last page with something written. And what Josie feared happened. Hope had before her eyes the song that her best friend had composed during her absence.

"Pamper you like yesterday," Hope read with interest. "What is it?"

When Josie heard those words, her heart raced. This could not happen to her. She took back her songbook to get the song out of Hope's hands.

"Nothing. Just a few notes. Nothing worthwhile," said the brunette in a rush.

Hope pouted. "You're a terrible liar. Come on, don't you trust me?"

This time, there was no other way out of the situation. Josie only had two options. The first was that she could refuse to show Hope the song but it was a bad idea because she was going to hurt her, making her believe that she doesn't trust her. Or second and last option, she could teach her the song and pray for a miracle because there was a good chance that Hope understood the lyrics and would never want to see her again.

She chose not to break her friend's heart and put hers at risk.

"It's a song I wrote during my trip to Italy. Just promise me you'll keep an open mind."

"I promise. Besides, the title seemed interesting."

Josie smiled nervously at her and handed her her songbook. Hope took it and sit on the bed to read.

* * *

**Pamper you like yesterday**

I still haven't gotten used to  
The fact of not having you  
December is coming  
And weeks go without seeing you

I do the impossible to make myself strong  
But you're the only one on my mind  
And although I am elsewhere  
It is difficult for me to be far from you  
Without being able to  
Pamper you like yesterday

Missing you burns my whole being  
And your silence turns off the lights  
How can a love that never happened  
Hurt me this much

I confess that I still take refuge  
In your irresistible memory  
January is past  
February is hell

I do the impossible to make myself strong  
But you're the only one on my mind  
And although I am elsewhere  
It is difficult for me to be far from you  
Without being able to  
Pamper you like yesterday

Missing you burns my whole being  
And your silence turns off the lights  
How can a love that never happened  
Hurt me this much

As they say, "out of sight, out of mind"  
But reality isn't so simple  
A year is almost over  
Such love didn't fade  
I hope it's not too late  
To go home, for you to fall in love

* * *

Josie had never felt so helpless in her entire life. She was looking at her friend, waiting for her reaction. She spent forever before Hope finally looks up to look into her eyes.

"You never told me," she said.

"I didn't know how," the brunette explained.

They both had their voices cracking.

"It sounds like you've forgotten that I'm your best friend or maybe you think I don't care about your fee..."

Josie interrupted her.

"It's not like that. I was just afraid of what it meant to me, how people were going to react."

"Love isn't a crime, Josie."

Hope got up, walked over to her, and wrapped her arms around her. She had a terrible pain in her heart. She didn't know why she felt this way, but she just wanted her friend to be happy. So even though for some reason she didn't want to do what she was going to do, she did it anyway.

"You're free to go," she whispered in an almost inaudible voice. "Go fight for your man."

Hearing this, Josie opened her mouth but couldn't make a sound; just one tiny hiccup. The situation was worse than she had imagined. Now, Hope believed that Josie liked someone else. It was probably that she didn't feel the same way. To save herself from the situation, Josie decided to make up a lie. She walked away from her friend, turning her back on her.

"This person is gone, so it doesn't matter anymore. Besides, Lizzie and I had the idea for us. I said I was in this with you and it's still the case." She turned her head to smile briefly at her, "This is important to a lot of people outside, so it is important to me as well," the brunette finally added.

* * *

After the intense moment in Josie's bedroom, Hope pretended to have a migraine to go home. Josie had realized that it was just a pretext to run away from her, but she said nothing and let her go because she was also begging for a moment of solitude.

Of course, she grabbed her guitar and started playing her damn song.

_A decade ago._

_A girl, sitting alone on a bench. She was beautiful, no one had her long brown hair of hers. She was giving a smile right now to an unfamiliar child passing by, but deep in her heart..._

_A second girl, installed on the swing in the park. She looked like a real little angel. Her hair was autumnal and she wore a sweet smile. From her place, she was watching the other girl playing the guitar. She loved music. Still blinded by the essence of innocence, the auburn-haired girl didn't understand why no one spoke to her if this stranger seemed like an angel._

_Soon, the little girl found a solution to the problem. She suddenly stood up and started walking towards the other girl._

_"I'm Hope," the girl introduced herself once she had caught up with the brunette._

_Hearing the autumn-haired girl, the loner looked up. When she met the beautiful blue eyes of her interlocutor, she felt a spark of hope and her eyes started shining._

_"Hi, I'm Josie," she dared to reply._

_Hope smiled even more purity before sitting down next to the girl._

_"I have a song. If we have to be friends, I'd better show it to you."_

_Josie smiled at her. And this time, this joy painted on her lips was without any mask. It was only the reflection of what was blossoming in her heart and she welcomed the expectation of a new friendship._

* * *

When she came into her room, Hope flung herself on her bed. With her head buried in the pillow, she moaned in frustration. She needed to deal with all the information that she received. The song written by her best friend had drowned her heart in a strange mood. Josie was in love with someone and just thinking about it made her nauseous. She was trying to convince herself that it was normal to feel this way because if her best friend dated someone, then she would have less time to spend with her. Nothing to do with jealousy, she was just a friend who was afraid of losing the attention of her favorite person. Or at least that's what she was trying to anchor in her head.

"It's nothing you can't deal with," she tells herself in a low voice.

She lay on her back and looked up before closing her lids.

_The girls were in Hope's bed, face to face. It was Josie's last night in Mystic Falls._

_"What can I do without you?" Hope said with tears in her eyes. "You are my best friend and the only person who has managed to keep me standing since my parents died."_

_"I'll always be just one phone call away. I'm not leaving you. I'll be back in a year, I promise." She stroked his cheek and the auburn-haired girl closed her eyes at the contact. "Don't get your hopes up, you won't get rid of me so easily."_

_The pain was heard in her voice despite the intention to relax the atmosphere with her comment._

_Hope smirked at her before turning her back on her. Josie was speechless and embraced her. Slept in each other's arms had become a habit for both of them._

_"I don't want to lose you," Hope whispered after a lot of time, but Josie had already fallen asleep._

* * *

_"I love you."_

_They were the words that echoed in her head as she felt the air leave her lungs. Sitting on the plane, Josie knew that if there was a concrete example to describe pure agony, the way she felt now might be the exact description. The brunette thought about the night before and hoped that she had been strong enough for both of them, she thought about that morning when she had taken the blue-eyed girl for the last time in her arms and hoped she had held her close enough. She thought about their entire relationship and she hoped that each memory could be enough for both of them to survive a year apart._

_Although Josie hated the whole situation due to the painful numbness surrounding her emotions, she was grateful too. She didn't think she could bear the full force of her feelings at the moment. She needed time to understand every note of her heartbeat. Thus, although she was already unbearable, the temporary separation seemed just as indispensable._

* * *

After a session of involuntary tears, Hope had fallen asleep. She woke up in the evening feeling as if she had been hit on the head with a mallet. And of course, she could only curse herself. Earlier, she had pretended to have a migraine and now she actually had one. It was fatal, as if she needed such karma.

She glanced at her phone, no one had tried to contact her. It was disappointing because Hope had hoped that after she almost ran off this afternoon, Josie would have at least texted her, but there was no news on her screen. Even Lizzie hadn't shown any signs of life. In the end, she dropped her phone on her bed, a clear indication of her frustration.

After this, before the headache worsened, Hope took the initiative to go to the kitchen in the hope of finding a pill to ease her impending headache.

To her surprise, she found Maya pouring hot milk from a pot to a cup. Hearing her enter, the girl briefly turned her head in her direction.

"Wow, my favorite sister-in-law."

Hope smiled.

"You know I'm not really your sister-in-law, right?" the auburn-haired girl pointed out, settling into one of the chairs around the center island.

"Who cares? You're family, that's what's important," Maya replied softly.

Hope had tears in her eyes and a trembling smile adorned her lips.

"Thank you."

It meant a lot to the young girl who had lost her parents at an early age, and she knew Maya understood it more than anyone because the two of them had so much in common. Like her, Maya had grown up without parents and had been raised by her godmother. Of course, her stories were still different because Maya had not met her parents at all, but somehow, there were still some similarities in the presence of emptiness and pain in their respective lives.

"A hot chocolate?"

  
"Deadly."

They smiled at each other, then Maya grabbed another cup from the cupboard to replicate her earlier acts. Meanwhile, Hope got up to take what she had come to get from the medicine cabinet.  
Finally, the girl sat on her chair in time to join Maya who was also taking her place. The fees were already in front of each of them. Then they stood for a moment in comfortable silence as they drank their hot chocolate.

"By the way, what are you doing here?" Hope finally asked. "Not that I'm not happy to see you and all that, but you and Penelope have your own place now."

"Well, your cousin has been drinking alcohol for dinner and, as you know, I can't drive due to my leg injury, so we decided to stay in Penelope's old room for the night. In fact," Maya got up. to go in the fridge. Then she returned to her place and handed Hope a plate. It was a beignet. "This is for you. Since you didn't eat dinner, I thought you could use a little delight."

"There is so much love in this room that I can hardly bear it," Hope added mischievously after accepting the beignet.

Maya laughed lightly.

"It would not be good if my new star fainted. I better take care of you, otherwise your girlfriend will kill me."

"Yeah, my girlfriend..." Hope sighed.

"All good?" Maya asked.

"Oh, yeah. Josie is... Josie. You know, not only is she my girlfriend but she's been my stay and my best friend all along. She is my person, kind of like the partner of my life."

"You love her very much, right?"

"There is no doubt in my heart."

"So?"

"I don't know, it's me, I feel like my heart is driving me crazy and I don't know how to handle it. Recently, I was naively thinking that Landon was the one I needed but Josie.. I think she has a power or something."

Maya smiled in amusement.

"You remind me a bit of what I was at your age." She put her hand over Hope's. "Trust me, I know you have a lot of questions but it will all make sense when the time comes, I promise."

"Well, I hope so. For now, I have no choice but to go to sleep."

"Okay, I should probably go too."

Getting up, Hope grabbed her empty cup, but Maya stopped her.

"I'll take care of it, go ahead."

Hope smiled at her gratefully. Arriving at the door, she turned her head and called Maya. Hearing her name, the girl raised her eyes again. "You are my family too."

* * *

When she woke up, Hope checked her phone and didn't get any messages from Josie. After getting ready, she checked her phone again. She still had no message.

Of course, things seemed weird for the girl because her best friend always sent her a message. It was a ritual, the brunette always said good morning to her very sweetly and asked her to pick her up at her house to go together in class.

So Hope decided to call her, maybe she hadn't woken up to the alarm. But when she didn't answer the call either, Hope panicked. After skipping dinner, she decided to skip breakfast as well to get to Josie's house as soon as possible.

When she got there, she rang the bell. She waited what seemed like an eternity, which was really only one to three minutes. During this time, two questions ran through her mind. Firstly, she was wondering if Josie was okay. Secondly, she was wondering if it was possible that Josie didn't want to see her. Hope was worried and scared.

When the door finally opened, the girl found herself face to face with the father of her fake girlfriend.


	3. Chapter 3

"Good morning, Mr. Saltzman."

The man frowned, "Hope?"

"Yeah, I was wondering if I could see Josie. I called her, but she didn't answer."

"Alaric, who is it?" Her wife called from another room before Mr. Saltzman could answer the auburn-haired girl's question.

"It's Hope Mikaelson," the man replied.

Josie's mother appeared next to her father. Hope felt a little more comfortable when she saw the woman's warm smile.

"Ciao bella, what are you doing here?"

  
"I..."

"She wants to see our daughter," Alaric cut in.

Jo gave her an apologetic smile. "I'm not sure that's a good idea. Josie is sick. You don't want to get the virus, do you?"

"Sick?"

_She is sick_ , she mostly tells herself.

"Yes, it may just be indigestion, but you better be careful."

Hope frowned. "Why didn't she call me?"

"There is a new rule in this house. There is no phones during cure times," Mr. Saltzman said.

The auburn-haired girl looked at Jo with pleading eyes. "Please, can I see her?"

The woman smiled. "Of course, I guess it's you who will bear the consequences after all."

Alaric and Jo backed away from the door to let Hope in. When Hope faced the door to Josie's room, she knocked without waiting.

"Come in," Josie rasped.

Hope opened the door without entering.

"Are you mad at me?"

"I'm mad at the world, H, and you just happen to be in it."

Hope finally walked over to the bed.

"Look, I'm really sorry about yesterday, really. I shouldn't have pressed you, it wasn't fair to you. Actually, your song is wonderful."

"Thank you. I'm sorry too... for everything. And I'm glad you're okay."

Hope smiled. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, just a little dizzy."

Josie pointed to the empty space next to her, Hope settled in.

"If you agree, my song could be a good first single for Hosie."

"What?" Hope exclaimed, surprised at the suggestion.

"We are running out of time to compose. This song could be our solution."

"It is not possible, this song is part of your privacy and I would not take the moment to cross the line again."

"Here we are," Josie put her hand over Hope's. "This song has a particular meaning for me but it has nothing to do with some boy. I know that was what you believed yesterday and that I did not correct you, but the truth is that this song could be anyone's story and nothing would make me happier than sharing it with you and making it ours. "

Hope let out a breath she didn't know she was holding and smiled. She wasn't ready to admit it yet, but knowing that Josie finally had no feelings for someone made her feel more than relieved. Now that she had her best friend back, she didn't want to share the time she had with her with someone else. She didn't want to be selfish, she just wanted to spend all of her free time with Josie without anyone being an obstacle.

"I told you, we're in this together."

"That's a yes?" Josie asked hopefully.

"With you, always."

And then, they embraced.

"Well, I'd love to spend the rest of the day in this room with you but now I have to go to class." Hope added once they have moved away.

Hope got up. The brunette pouted. "I don't think I'll be happy until I see you again."

Hope smirked at her. "You are extremely dramatic." She then leaned in to leave a brief kiss on her forehead. "I'll see you in a few hours. Get some rest."

* * *

Upon reaching her first class room, Hope's eyes met her ex-boyfriend's. He smiled at her, it was brief but friendly. She was grateful. After the conversation they'd had on the phone the other day, she was happy that she could count him as a friend rather than continue arguing with him.

Then Hope headed over to her usual table where Lizzie was already. The blonde still hadn't noticed her arrival because she was staring at her phone. And she was smiling, by the way. It wasn't necessary to have a very high IQ to understand that she was surely texting with Mg. Then Hope leaned down to whisper close to her ear. "Watch out, you're drooling."

Lizzie reacted and blushed. She then shot a half amused death glare at her best friend. "I plan to kill you in the near future. But for now explain to me, where is your girlfriend?"

Hope became more serious. "She's just a little sick. But I'm going to hang out with her after class."

Lizzie didn't have time to react because the teacher came in. It was time for art class, our dear Lizzie's favorite so she was ready and attentive when the teacher started talking about a new group project.

"I ask two to four people per group. The goal is to be creative, as always. The main theme is to tell a story and let art come to life in our surroundings. On each team, one of you will have to observe their peers and be inspired by what they transmit when they are together to highlight their feelings through your art."

The music teacher, Mrs. Salvatore, in turn entered the room. "Those who will be observed will have to compose a song to accompany said work. The most creative complete work will be the main source for creating our institute's end-of-year show."

Lizzie was very excited about the project. Her cousin, who also happened to be the music teacher, hadn't told her about it, but now Lizzie was truly grateful for the opportunity.

The girls knew that Lizzie would take care of the art part and that Josie and Hope would take care of the music part. It was obvious because Lizzie loved music and was talented, but she preferred to make up stories through photographs among other things and there was no doubt that the other two girls would choose music over anything else although Hope also had a great passion for the art.

* * *

After the lessons, some less appreciated than others, the girls stayed for a while talking about the new art and music project with their classmates. Then they all left, leaving the girls alone in front of the picturesque building. They talked a bit about Milton before diverting the conversation to Josie.

"You can come with me, if you want."

"I would love to, but I'm very busy. I have to meet Jed, we have a pending talk," Lizzie replied.

"Jed?" Hope asked curiously.

"Yeah, he wants to make me a proposal, but I don't know exactly what it is about."

"Well, we will miss you."

"You too... give her a big hug from me and let her know that I hope she gets better soon."

Hope hugged Lizzie. "Well, see ya. And send me a message when you'll be safe."

"Yes, you can count on me."

They smiled at each other and then each went in a different direction. Lizzie was going home to change and Hope was going to the bakery to buy something for Josie before visiting her.

* * *

Josie heard a knock on her bedroom door. "Go ahead."

Hope came in and Josie smiled like she was Santa Claus. She was not that far away. However, she had neither beard nor roundness, but she did bring her a gift.

Hope smiled back. "Hi, pretty little thing," said the auburn-haired girl softly. "How are you doing?"

"Much better seeing you."

She was already beside the bed.

"Please, sit down."

What Hope did, a big smile on her lips.

"And there is a possibility that you love me more... Ricciarelli di Siena." She handed her the bag full of sweets. "It is all for you."

Her face lit up. "I could kiss you for that," the brunette commented as she ate one of the sweets.

Hope laughed nervously. She just gay panic. Not because she thought it was a bold comment but because she realized that if the kiss were true she wouldn't have bothered her at all. She unconsciously fixed her gaze on her friend's lips.

"What?" Josie asked when she realized it.

"Nothing. It's just that you have something..."

Hope leaned down to wipe the corner of her mouth with a napkin. Then, it was the brunette's turn to be somewhat nervous as well and both remained silent, looking with desire at each other's lips.

Hope's cell phone rang, ending the flirt time. It was a message from Lizzie saying that she was fine and that she was already with Jed. After responding to the message, Hope turned off her phone again and looked up. "I was thinking that since I am here, maybe we could order something, see a movie. Your parents are gone when I get here, I don't want to leave you alone in that house."

"This comes across as a good option," Josie agreed with enthusiasm painted on her face.

* * *

Hope had removed her jacket and shoes so she could crawl under the covers next to Josie. It had only been about fifteen minutes since the movie was released when Josie finally dared to put her arms around Hope's waist and rest her head on her chest, as she always did. Hope relaxed and began stroking Josie's arm with one hand. Shortly after, she entwined the fingers of her free hand with Josie's at her navel.

It was the perfect position for the perfect moment. Maybe now they were more like two girlfriends than two friends, but it didn't matter at the current time because they both felt at home.

In the middle of the movie, both of them had already fallen asleep like this, hugging each other.

After work, Jo got home before her husband. She went to Josie's room to check it out and found the girls asleep. At the scene, she smiled tenderly. It brought back memories. Maybe she also missed seeing her daughter with her best friend. She then turned off the television and the light before leaving the room, closing the door delicately. Now her mission was to keep Alaric out of the room because she knew that he would not approve of the proximity of the two girls in the bed. He was a conservative man.

* * *

Jo asked her husband to put the plates on the table while she went to warn the girls that dinner was almost ready.

Arriving in front of the bedroom door, the woman heard a whisper as soft as a caress. She smiled because she now she was sure of what she already suspected.

It was Hope who had said "I don't know what I'd do without you" to a sleeping Josie, confirming to the woman her feelings for her daughter. Jo was supportive of the relationship, but she couldn't help but think about her husband's reaction when he found out what was really going on between her daughter and her best friend.

The woman sighed before opening the door discreetly. "Dinner is almost ready," she said.

Hope smiled at her. "Okay, I... I'm going to wake her up."

"Right, see you two downstairs in ten minutes."

Jo winked at her and left. The auburn-haired girl wasn't sure what she meant but she had no doubt that she now had reddened cheeks. She was a completely mess.

To wake Josie up, Hope stroked her cheek, telling her in a sweet voice that it was time to eat. The brunette protested as she buried her head level with Hope's chest, as if it were her pillow. The auburn-haired girl blushed even more and froze. Josie probably did that unconsciously, but that didn't stop Hope from dying internally.

After a while, Hope took courage and shook her best friend, waking her up once and for all.

* * *

After a fairly quiet dinner with Josie and her parents, Hope called Rebekah to ask her to come and pick her up because it was too late to go home walking.

While she awaited her arrival, she returned with Josie to her room. She took the opportunity to tell her about the new project given by her teachers. Josie immediately thought that she could use her song or write a new version of the song to give it a more upbeat sequel. Hope liked the idea and they agreed to speak with Lizzie the next day.

What they didn't know was that Lizzie, for her part, had received a proposal from Jed, who had also received the suggestion from Penelope and Maya.

Of course, Hope knew that her friend had to see Jed, what she didn't know is that Jed had proposed to Lizzie that she become the artistic creator of the couple. This means that she would be in charge of creating the covers of the girls' singles and albums, and would participate in the creation of the music videos. And Lizzie hadn't had to think twice, she accepted with great enthusiasm because it was the opportunity of a lifetime for her: working with her two best friends while she did what she loves to do the most.

So, of course, linking the school project to the Switch On project was a brilliant idea. Lizzie would surely be on the same page. It was only necessary for the girls to finally get together to catch up on all the information and fix things.

* * *

The next day, Josie was able to return to class. She was feeling much better, confirming that she had nothing but indigestion.

During math class, the teacher put people in pairs for some work. Hope has obtained her ex-boyfriend, Landon. The auburn-haired girl had nothing against it now that they had just become friends, but for Josie, things were different. The brunette felt a little dizzy again, perfectly aware of her jealousy. She knew it was ridiculous, but the doubts were still there in the back of her mind. More than being jealous, the truth is that she was afraid of losing the person she loves. What if Hope ended up wanting to get back with him before she could find the courage to admit her feelings? She would break her heart for the thousandth time.

In such a case, of course, at the end of class, while Hope was talking to Landon, Josie remembered that the boy believed that the two girls were really a couple. So maybe Josie took the opportunity to go behind Hope and wrap her arms around her waist to hug her. Then when Hope turned her head, surprised by her gesture, Josie also took the opportunity to kiss her cheek, a little too close to her lips. Hope was completely speechless.

"I hate math class without you," Josie told her after kissing her.

"You'll have to get used to it, Miss Saltzman," the teacher exclaimed upon hearing the student's comment. "Today's groups will be the same for the next two weeks. If you get a good grade for this work, I will consider returning you Miss Mikaelson for the next one." He grinned, grabbing her things. "Have a good day, see you next week."

And he definitely left the room. Josie was embarrassed and Hope scoffed a bit.

Landon took advantage of the moment to officially introduce himself to Josie. She smiled back at hims for being polite. Landon had arrived after Josie's departure for Europe, so the two only knew each other through Hope and Lizzie, when they had both mentioned them during various conversations.

Obviously, Josie had been glad when she learned that Hope was not without a smile during her absence, but when she had heard the news of the relationship between the boy and her best friend, she had felt her heart break into a thousand pieces as if she could never put them together again. But that was her before she found out about the breakup, allowing her to regain the hope that she had lost months ago. Of course, she didn't want the auburn-haired girl to be heartbroken, but she thought that she might be the reason for her happiness rather than anyone else.

Lizzie, for her part, watched everything from afar, knowing full well that sooner or later this whole story would finally find her meaning. Because the blonde knew that Landon had never been a true match for Josie. Unfair as it may be, he had been nothing more than the bandage on Hope's heart when Josie left for Europe. It was the way that the blue-eyed girl had found, unconsciously, of course, to distract herself from the immense emptiness that the brunette had left by leaving in another country. Lizzie was dying to scream the truth at them, that the two of them had been madly in love with each other for centuries, but she couldn't, because it wasn't her choice to make. Her two best friends had to find the answers for themselves. Sure, she was trying to subtly speed up the process, but she would never force them to do things without them being ready to do so. She had her limits.

As the girls continued talking to Landon, Lizzie took her notebook from her backpack to draw. The way the girls naturally acted like girlfriends inspired her to do some sketches. It was exactly what her teachers expected of her: to observe and transmit what she feels through her art. She mentally thanked her two best friends for being so obvious and expressive. It was easy to look at them and say that a really strong bond united them and that it would always be that way. Again it was logical. It had nothing to do with assumptions, it was fact based on real grounds. It was to say that Lizzie had years of observation going for her.

* * *

Later that day, the girls got together at Switch On to have Josie sing the song. Obviously, Hope had already read the lyrics the other day, but she still hadn't had a chance to hear the whole song. As for Lizzie, she was going to find out everything for the first time. Therefore, the brunette was a bit nervous, she did not know if she could really teach them the song without seeming obvious about the person who had inspired her work. But it was time to dare. She could no longer think of running away now that she had offered to her friends to use her song for both projects.

So, after installing everything, Josie closed her eyes. Then, she started playing the guitar, letting herself be carried away by the sound. When she finally felt comfortable, she opened her eyes again. Hugging Hope's gaze with hers, Josie began to sing. It was different than usual, because for the first time in a long time, she decided to bare her voice. In other words, her interpretation said everything that she couldn't say when she spoke.

Maybe there was a bit of magic in all that because somehow, it was easy to let yourself be guided by the emotion of the moment, to breathe with each new chord and to keep up with the beat of your heart.

For once in her life, Josie felt that despite whatever obstacles she might come up with after, loving Hope was the purest feeling she had ever felt in her entire life and that she will never ever leave it to go.

When the last sound of the guitar sounded, leaving the sweetest silence behind her, tears were clearly visible on Hope's cheeks. Josie wondered if it was a good sign or if she had just ruined years of friendship with the auburn-haired girl.

Lizzie stood up and whispered, "Count on me, I'll be the first to buy this masterpiece."

And before any of them could say anything, Lizzie was already leaving the room to leave some privacy for her two friends.

There was so much to say without really knowing what to say or how to express so much in words.

"H..."

After her nickname was pronounced, Hope smiled through tears. But it was a smile Josie had never seen and before she could decipher it, the blue-eyed girl was already gone, leaving behind a shattered brunette. Josie didn't even try to run after Hope, deducing that if she was leaving it was because she didn't want to talk. She didn't know, but she assumed what seemed most likely in the situation. Because even if the smile confused her, Hope walking away gave a pretty clear answer to reality.

And before she could stop them, tears ran down her cheeks. Josie grabbed the sheet music for the song and destroyed it before throwing it away. Maybe one shot would hurt less. She grabbed her backpack and left Switch On without looking back.

* * *

When Hope got home, she locked herself in her room, refusing to respond to her godmother who had seen her walk up the stairs without even saying hello.

The girl had already received messages from Lizzie wondering where she and Josie had gone. She did not answer. She couldn't handle this. Well, she had panicked. Once again.

The song that her best friend had written during her journey was written for her. Josie was in love with her. How come she didn't realize it sooner? All the signs were there from the beginning. When she had read the lyrics she had thought that each word reflected what she had felt during Josie's absence. Why wouldn't Josie have felt the same? It was clear now that she had felt the same. As she lived through the song, her gaze fixed on Josie's, Hope had seen a lot of memories of her taking over her mind, making her realize what she was trying to suppress for a long time: she was in love with Josie, too.

It was one thing to understand it, but another thing was to accept it and act on it. Hope had definitely panicked. She needed time.

She needed to think. It was her thing. She hid and thought about absolutely everything. Maybe a little too much. And she had many questions, many doubts and above all innumerable fears and insecurities. But who could blame a teenage girl for feeling confused and insecure? It was normal not knowing how to deal with her feelings. It is true that she had run away, but she had worked hard on herself since the death of her parents. She knew she could handle it all, she just had to take it in before she could face it.

Everything in its own time.

* * *

Love heals, but it is also what hurts.

Also locked in her room, there was nothing Josie could do now to ease the pain she was feeling. Her heart was like a fire on fire. Thus, it was possible to feel more alive than ever while she wanted to disappear.

When she grabbed another tissue, someone knocked on her door. She quickly wiped away her tears, she was not ready to face one of her two parents. But when she let the person in, it was just Lizzie.

After too many unanswered messages, the other girl had quickly understood that things had gone wrong between her two best friends, so she went to Josie's. She had tried to go to Hope's house first, but Rebekah said that her goddaughter refused to open her door to speak. Then she had given up, knowing that she would have more luck on the brunette's side.

Seeing Josie's red and puffy eyes, Lizzie had no further doubts about the situation.

"I've thrown everything I had with her overboard," Josie said in a cracking voice. The next second Lizzie was already hugging her. "I lost her," she added between sobs.

"What happened?" the blonde asked, pulling her away from her arms.

"I'm in love with Hope," Josie confessed with her eyes fixed on her hands.

After all, she had nothing left to lose. Understanding her confession, Lizzie smiled. At last she had revealed her secret. "I already know that."

Josie raised her eyes. "How?" she replied, a little bit surprised.

"Well your new song was pretty obvious about it. But most of all, the two of you are my best friends, I realize this kind of thing. This is partly why I came up with this dating idea when Landon broke up with Hope. She looked so sad after he broke up, but it's not because she missed him, but because she missed you. After the breakup, she had no more way to distract herself from your absence. And she just wanted you to be there to tell her that everything would be okay. She didn't need to tell me, I knew it. I watched her look at her photos, hear I have a song more than necessary or wear the clothes you left in her closet. Things like this don't go unnoticed."

"Did she do all of this?" Josie was a little speechless.

"Of course she did. She loves you."

Josie sighed. "Not the way that I love her."

"Actually, I think so. Her eyes say it all when she looks at you."

"So why did she run away after hearing the song?"

"Maybe all she needs is time. Some time for her, to think. She may be afraid of all that that implies. All I'm saying is that we don't know everything. Each one moves at their own pace. When Hope will feel ready to face the situation, she will be back. There is no doubt."

Hearing Lizzie's words lifted a weight off Josie.

"Thanks for coming, I appreciate the emotional support."

"As your friend, that's my job. Come here."

* * *

At night, Lizzie had already gone home. As for Josie, she had returned to her guitar because when everything else fell apart around her, her instrument was her escape.

She was playing the strings, lost in thought. The sound was slow and heartbreaking, in keeping with her current mood. One memory in particular caught her attention.

_"Anyone who has heard your work, see how talent you are," Hope said after hearing Josie play guitar for the thousandth time._

_"Thank you, it means a lot to me. But you know that when it comes to music, you believe in me, I believe in you."_

_"The truth is that I have all my trust in you. It is a conversation of the heart and my heart knows this."_

_"Wow, you're really cheesy tonight."_

_"I always am, in theory."_

_"Certo, certo.." Josie confirmed with her Italian accent, a smile adorning her lips._

_Hope laughed. It was something discreet but pure. As if she were a carefree child. And for a moment Josie lost track of time, completely mesmerized by the movement of Hope's lips. Perhaps it was at that moment that she first realized her desire to kiss her best friend._

_Yeah, that's where the trouble for Josie probably started. After that night, it had become difficult for her to be around Hope without being aware of all her thoughts and feelings for her._

_"Today more than yesterday and much less than tomorrow," added Hope._

* * *

You have a symphonic laugh

That resonates beyond your smile

Like a poetic work

It tells the story in the spring

Of a butterfly

To whom love has brought joy

This is what Josie began to write in her notebook when she opened her eyes after returning from the world of memories.

I will kiss you with all my heart

Would feel to have some wings to fly

And she smiled because she knew there is always hope as long as she can write.

She was going to give Hope time if that was what she needed. It was a decision made. But there was one thing she could always do: tell Hope that she would always be there for her, regardless of her future decision because she was her best friend first and foremost.

* * *

It was late when Hope received a message. She decided to check her phone, in case it was important. Her heart stopped for a moment when she noticed the notification. It was Josie. She hesitated to open it, but she couldn't resist doing so.

**From Josie** : I miss you already but don't worry, I understand your silence. I just want you to know that I will wait for you. I will give you the time you need but please remember that you will always have a friend whatever the choice you make. Nothing will change that. You will always be my person. I am your shoulder to cry on, your partner to laugh or share a second. My heart knows this. Today more than yesterday and much less than tomorrow. Sweet dreams, angel.

"I miss you too," Hope whispered.


	4. Chapter 4

Hope stared at her phone for a long time, not knowing what to say to her best friend. Anyway, she wanted to do it because Josie wasn't to blame for anything and she didn't deserve her silence. The only reason the auburn-haired girl had for escaping earlier was all the mess in her head and her heart. She no longer knew what the truth was, everything seemed to be entangled. But she was trying to understand.

Anything can happen to anyone at any time before that someone can be ready to face everything with rationality and clarity and make the decisions that will determine what will happen next. These kinds of things happen frequently in life. So the first thing one does sometimes is panic and run away from the problem. Then some reflect on the situation and others run away from it. It is this exact moment, when one chooses between acceptance and denial, that defines who we are.

Either way, no one can really run away from their problems, because avoiding never helps to solve. In the end one has to know that it will end again at the beginning. That is, without a doubt, the last straw. And the result is not better at all. So whatever happens from now on, please be honest with yourself and if you feel this is too much to deal with alone, don't be afraid and ask for help. There is no shame in admitting and getting a hand to hold.

When Hope finally decided to simply answer Josie, there was a knock on her door. Then came the voice of her cousin's girlfriend. "Hope? It's me, Maya. I'll bring you food."

Hope sighed but went to open the door. She couldn't keep ignoring everyone.

"Hi, sweetie."

Maya smiled at her. That kind of smile that says I don't know what's going on, but I understand. She could see that the girl had cried. "I can pass?"

Hope stepped back to let her in. The girl came in and put the plate on the nightstand. She then she turned to Hope. "Your godmother made you your favorite food."

"Thank you, but I am not currently hungry."

"Sure." Maya sat on the bed. "Please, come sit next to me."

Hope closed the door before reaching the girl.

"Did you fight with Josie?"

Tears came to the auburn-haired girl's eyes. "Not exactly... but somethin' like this?"

Maya put her hand over hers. "Do you want to talk about it?"

Hope took a deep breath. "Well, there is something you don't know." She takes another furtive breath, almost unable to speak. "We're not actually a couple."

"But the other day..."

Hope began to explain the situation to her from the beginning and ended with a "I'm sorry."

Maya took her hand to make her understand that she accepted her excuses. "If you told me you loved her, why did you leave?" She asked later.

"Of course I love her. I just panicked, okay?"

"So what?"

"Maybe I don't like her this way."

Maya's face changed. Now, she understood everything.

"I really love her as one should love her best friend but I don't know if I'm in love with her. I feel like I do because the feeling that it gives me in my heart is authentically... legendary beautiful but what I'm trying to find out now is if it what I feel isn't going to go away. What if in hindsight I realize it's just confusion? She's my best friend, I don't want to hurt her. I can't lose her."

Her eyes were full of tears, although she was trying hard to control herself.

"There's no such thing as safe love. Combining friendship and romance is extremely risky but hey, love is a risk for anyone. I'm sure Josie already knows that."

"Well yeah, she texted me. She said I'd always have a friend no matter what I choose but I know it doesn't work like that. A broken heart is a broken heart... and she doesn't deserve it. I can't take the risk."

"Josie already took the risk. I think you owe her a conversation at least."

"I'll do it when I'm ready."

"Seem right."

Maya crossed her arms and smiled approvingly at the auburn-haired girl, as if she had just solved a complicated puzzle. And deep down it was like that.

"Now, if you'll excuse me, Pen is waiting for me. Good night, sis."

Maya got up and headed for the door. Once open, the younger girl called out to her. When the girl turned around, Hope had already reached out to hug her. "Thanks for everything, sis."

Maya laughed, hugging her tighter before pulling away to leave. "And please, eat something."

Returning to her bed, a small smile on her lips, Hope took the plate brought by the other girl and ate a bite of the beignet.

* * *

After eating all the dessert and taking a good shower, Hope settled into her bed. When she finally fell asleep, a familiar face appeared in her dreams.

_Curly locks gleaming in the sun like gold. She was a girl with a smile more tender than the tenderness itself and flashes of light in her eyes. She had an angelic voice and there was no doubt that the person to whom the song she sang was dedicated was the luckiest in the world. She was a girl with pretty autumnal hair. She was dazzled with a ring that her partner had just given her, her heart beaming with joy._

_It was obviously not an engagement ring. The two girls were only fourteen and just friends. At least that's what they thought at the time._

_It was a slightly special day because it was the anniversary of their meeting. So Josie organized a picnic in the park for the two of them and offered her the ring in honor of her friendship. She also sang the song Hope had taught her on the day they became friends._

_It was one if not the best of her memories and now she dreamed of it because she remembered an important detail from this moment._

_It had all been a surprise on Josie's part so Hope had forgotten to bring her gift too. Then the blue-eyed girl decided to kiss her as a substitute gift. It had been brief but very close to her lips. To the corner. And for a time she had considered this kiss like her first kiss._

_"Thank you, you're the best friend I could’ve dreamed of."_

* * *

Two days had passed, two days during which Josie spent her time on her guitar without seeing or even talking to Hope. It's not that she didn't want it, on the contrary, it's that her best friend hadn't given her any news. She only got a simple thank you and good night in response to her last message, but that was it. Since then the brunette had to endure the silence of her life partner. She found it hard not to give in to her desire to go to the girl's house to finally see her. But Josie knew that forcing things wasn't a good idea, that pushing Hope wouldn't have been the right thing to do. Then she just waited what seemed like an eternity. And despite her pain, she knew that she could wait an eternity.

* * *

Upon arriving at Switch On accompanied by Maya, Hope saw her two best friends together. Josie was teaching Lizzie a song Hope had never heard. It was something new, slow and deep. It had a rather painful lyric that seemed to correspond perfectly to her current situation with her.

**I don't ask much of you**

Looking at the clock  
My heart drops  
Each day becomes worse  
Without you love

Heal me  
From all the pain  
That brings your silence  
And chokes my chest

I don't ask much of you  
Just to see you again  
Give me one more chance

I don't ask much of you  
All I need is you  
To be here, to hold me tight

Heal me  
From all the pain  
That brings your silence  
And chokes my chest

Looking to the sky  
I pray for  
Some miracle  
For this beautiful love

I don't ask much of you  
Just to see you again  
Give me one more chance

I don't ask much of you  
All I need is you  
To be here, to love me too

When the song ended, Josie frowned, surprised by her friend's lack of words. Lizzie still hadn't said anything because her gaze had fixed on what was happening on her back. Curious to know what caught her friend's attention, Josie turned around.

As Hope met her gaze, the brunette became nervous. She must have heard the song and since there was no longer any doubt about the meaning of the lyrics, Josie thought that she might have screwed everything up again.

So when Hope broke eye contact from her without even smiling at her, Josie took it as rejection. It clouded her vision and to keep her tears from flowing, she bit down on her lower lip hard, almost to the point of bleeding. And finally, when she felt like she couldn't hold back crying anymore, she told Lizzie that she had to go to the bathroom and she quickly left.

But Hope, who had only looked away to end her conversation with Maya, didn't understand when she saw, out of the corner of her eye, Josie hurrying away with a painful expression on her face.

So the auburn-haired girl quickly apologized to Maya before following in Josie's footsteps.

Maya walked towards Lizzie and when she reached her she sat down next to her. "Do you still think it was a good idea?"

"What thing?" The blonde asked. She did not understand.

"Well, I know everything there is to know about your plan regarding Josie and Hope."

Lizzie laughed nervously. "What do you want me to say? They needed a boost."

Maya smiled. "You may be a good friend in your own way."

Lizzie thanked her.

"This does not mean that I forgot the lie."

"Hey, I just came up with the idea, they were the ones who accepted my proposal."

An amused smile spread across Maya's lips. "You something else, you know that?"

Lizzie just shrugged her shoulders with a proud smile on her face.

* * *

Hope was sure that Josie had run to the bathroom. However, upon entering, she found no one there.

"Jo?"

Not getting an answer, Hope turned to leave but a sob from Josie's suppressed crying stopped her and made her want to cry too. After a second, she decided to head back towards the booths. "Jo, how are you? You worry me." Only the sound of another sob broke the silence. "Please, talk to me."

For the second time, she received no response. After some time trying not to cry, a tear slid down the blue-eyed girl's face. It was totally in sync with the brunette's. "I'm so sorry I walked away like this, I... never meant to hurt you."

Suddenly Josie's voice cracked. "I'm sorry, I blew it all."

"No, Jo, of course not. Have you forgotten?"

"What?"

"You mean the world to me, okay?"

And it was true, since Hope had lost her parents, she had clung to Josie like one clings to a life preserver. Her best friend had become her family. What's more, Josie was her touch of hope and she always gave her reasons to smile.

"Okay."

And maybe Hope had the same effect on the other girl too because despite everything that was happening, she managed to make the brunette smile.

"The truth is that the other day you surprised me so I panicked. I couldn't think clearly. Everything got so messed up that I didn't know what to do or say. It was easier to run away because I wasn't ready to face all these feelings and what they mean."

"Are you ready now?"

"Not yet, but I'm trying. Look, I know none of this is fair to you but you could wait for me and we would take this path together... little by little. What do you say?" Her voice sounded quite unsure.

The silence came again. Then Josie came out of the bathroom stall in which she had locked herself. "You know you don't have to ask. I'll wait for you as long as you need it."

Hearing that, Hope let out a sigh of relief that she didn't know she was holding back. Then, she moved closer to Josie letting her hands fly to the brunette's wet cheeks. Some act that allowed her to dry her tears, caressing them with her two thumbs. Anyway, Josie leaned over to Hope and kissed her forehead, bringing out a genuine smile through her tears. When their gazes met again, the auburn-haired girl was the first to speak. Her voice was soft as a whisper, somewhat hesitant. "Are you okay?"

"Are you?" Josie replied in the same tone of voice.

Hope dared to answer her the plain truth with a really deep little voice. "I missed you like hell."

* * *

Because Lizzie had already heard _**P**_ _ **amper you like yesterday** ,_ Penelope, Maya, and Jed were all in the recording studio together, working with her on what could be the music video for the song that Josie and Hope chose for their first single.

Obviously, they did not know if everything was going well for the girls, but they hoped that things would return to normal: a auburn-haired girl and a brunette inseparable and ready to show the world their talent.

Therefore, it was instinctive for Maya and Lizzie to smile when they saw the two girls walking hand in hand into the study.

"Okay, let's get to work." Said Penelope when the girls arrived.

"Are you ready?" Maya asked.

They both nodded and two audible yes. Then they went to stand one step away from the microphones.

When the song finally came to an end, Josie knew that Hope had not yet left her because all she had been able to see in Hope's eyes during the entire recording time was love. And at that moment, that was all that mattered.

The brunette continued to look at her for a long time, a little love in the air, a flash of light in her eyes, a carefree smile drawn on her lips and just that, yes, a little faith in her heart.

And the rest of the world had just disappeared.

* * *

After a break, Lizzie showed them her ideas for the video clip. "It would all start with a plane taking off. It would be the introduction where we would see you, Josie, there from the window, the pain in the eyes. Then you would close them and you would remember Hope saying that she loves you."

The brunette thought how much it was too close to reality.

"And when Josie would open her eyes, the music would begin. The first verse and the first part of the chorus would focus on the month of December. There would be snow. In the first verse we would have Hope about to call Josie and in the chorus we would have Josie sitting near her window, looking at a photo of the two holding each other. There would be a zoom to focus the close-up photo that would then allow us to reach the second part of the chorus that they sing together where there would be fleeting flashbacks of moments of complicity."

Lizzie paused in explaining her. "Well, what do you think for now?"

"I like it" Hope told her.

"Sounds pretty good," Josie added.

Lizzie smiled, proud of herself. "At the beginning of the second verse there would be a last flashback of the two of you having fun on the beach that would come to an end at the end of the verse with Hope wiping a tear that runs down her cheek and then getting up from her towel to leave. In the full chorus that follows we would return to Josie who would be in a park playing the guitar, writing precisely this part of the song. The sun would be shining and she could see a couple of two girls and I would brings her some memories. She would end up looking her phone and seeing her wallpaper. It would be a picture of the two of us hugging while they sleep. At the same time we would see Hope who would try to call her on video chat. At last, in the last part, we would have Josie back on the plane. She could be writing the last chorus of the song as well to follow the story it tells."

The brunette interrupted her. "Is this how it would end?"

"No, there would be some epilogue with your arrival at Switch On and when crossing glances, both would run in each other's arms. And obviously, just as some thought of the two while hugging "like yesterday" would be perfect if we recorded a kiss like alternative ending.

Hearing the latter, the two young women screamed at the same time. "What?!"

"Don't be like that, people think they are a couple. They are going to want the kiss."

Hope was the first to speak. Her voice was calm but firm. "No, I will not kiss her. It's not an option."

Josie knew Hope wasn't ready for her relationship to develop this way, but hearing the girl reject the simple idea of kissing her with such conviction was like planting a dagger in her heart. She really hurt and the brunette couldn't help but feel rejected again. Would kissing her be so terrible? Maybe she had false hopes. What if the wait never ends? Perhaps Hope would never see her as more than a friend. Too many doubts crossed her mind, she just needed to get out for air before crying again. She then she made up an excuse. "I'll go get some water."

And with that, she walked out the door. Watching the brunette run away, Lizzie couldn't help but throw an accusing glance at Hope. "You screwed up."

"What?"

"You know that she is in love with you, right?"

Hope turned red. "What does that have to do with it?"

"You just acted like kissing her was an unthinkable idea for you. How do you think she feels right now?"

"What? No, I ... fuck, I didn't mean that!"

"No, it rather means that you want to kiss her."

"I have not said that!"

Lizzie smiled at her with her typical smirk. "But you didn't deny it either."

Hope was about to argue to silence Lizzie but she suddenly realized that it was best to find Josie first. In the end, Lizzie could think what she wanted, it didn't matter. It was more important to resolve the misunderstanding with the brunette. She got up from her chair then. "I have to go find her."

Hope reached the door in turn. As she backed away from her, Lizzie yelled, "Kiss the girl!"


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The story got a new name, hope you like it.  
> Many thanks to all of you, and happy reading!

Hope scoured all of Switch On to find Josie. She searched all over the place and its surroundings, but she was nowhere. Then the auburn haired girl came to the conclusion that the blonde was right and that apparently, she had been the champion lately for ruining everything between her and Josie. She cursed herself for her legendary clumsiness.

After all, she always managed to do the opposite of what she wanted. She hoped to protect Josie and yet it was she who constantly hurt her. She now she had to fix things. She needed a plan to make Josie understand that she hadn't meant what the brunette seems to have understood from her words. At the same time, Hope had to find the courage to be honest with Josie and explicitly tell her how she feels.

Of course, Hope wasn't ready for things to change, but it seemed her best friend needed more than the elusive explanations Hope had given her during their bathroom talk. So, because Josie deserved it, Hope decided that this time, even if she was scared, she was going to act anyway. She was going to confess everything she feels so that there is no longer any doubt that they were both on the same page.

Therefore, Hope returned to her home to implement her plan. Later, when she finished the final arrangements, she went to Josie's house. When Josie's mother let her in, the blue-eyed girl went straight to the brunette's room. To avoid inconvenience, Hope knocked on the door, which was ajar. Unfortunately, after receiving no response and after a brief reflection, she decided to enter the room without being invited. She froze when she saw Josie come out of the bathroom at the same time, just wrapped in a towel.

You see, legendary clumsiness.

Their eyes met, the two stuttered and their cheeks completely blushed. Josie because she was surprised to find her friend in her room right now, especially since she was naked, and Hope, because she was completely hypnotized and shaken by this angelical vision. The auburn-haired girl's eyes swept over the brunette's body before she could even think about it, like a natural instinct.

Finally, realizing it, Hope turned her back on her, embarrassed. "Oh god, I want to die. I'm so ashamed." Maybe Hope got a little dramatic. "I'm sorry, I didn't know that... sorry. Your mother didn't tell me... I didn't provoke all that, I just wanted to talk."

"Hey, relax. It's all good, don't worry, no problem." Hope caught her breath. "I'll go get some clothes. I'll... I'll be right back, wait for me here."

And with her pajamas in hand, the brunette ran to the bathroom. Meanwhile, Hope sat on the bed, trying to regulate her heart rate.

* * *

When Josie returned to her room, she sat down next to Hope on the bed. "I'm sorry about running off a few hours ago. I didn't mean to, it's just..."

Hope put her hands over the other girl's. "Jo, it's okay. I understand. That's why I came. I'm the one who needs to apologize again. I just want you to forget whatever you understood earlier when we were talking about kisses with Lizzie."

Josie looked at her, waiting for her to explain. She really didn't understand anything anymore.

Hope groaned, touching her hair. This situation was causing great confusion and frustration. Then the auburn-haired girl took a deep breath before turning her head to Josie's instrument that rested in her place. She was going to do what she had planned. It was now or never. She then she turned to her friend again. "Can I use your guitar?"

The brunette looked at her curiously. "Yeah, sure."

Then the blue-eyed girl got up to seize the instrument. Once in front of Josie, she took the time to look into her eyes before starting to play. Because yes, Hope can also write songs about her best friend. What she had just done a few days ago.

The brunette's heart was ready to jump out of her chest. The girl watched every movement of Hope's fingers on the guitar until she started to sing. Then her eyes moved to her lips. If she had been told a few hours ago that Hope would come here at sunset to sing to her, she would never have believed it. Even now that it was happening, her heart couldn't believe it and it couldn't stop pounding either. And her tears, though not sad this time, made her eyes sparkle as they began to flow down her cheeks, a full smile adorning her lips.

**My heart always comes home**

We were both just kids  
You said you'd take care of me  
Since you've been my shoulder to cry on  
My partner to laugh with  
We were meant to be

You must be the one  
The safe place where loves comes from  
As we become older  
My mind may wander  
But I want you to know  
That whatever's going on  
My heart always comes home

You are the proof  
Love always makes the first move

I'm terrified as a matter of fact  
That everything might going to fall apart  
But instead of the gallows of heartache  
I promise you that from this moment forward  
The only running that I will be doing is into your arms

You must be the one  
The safe place where loves comes from  
As we become older  
My mind may wander  
But I want you to know  
That whatever's going on  
My heart always comes home

You are the proof  
Love always makes the first move

* * *

When Hope finally put down the guitar, Josie tried to talk to her but the auburn-haired girl stopped her by reaching out her hand and intertwining her fingers with hers. "When my parents died, you gave me a home. When I needed someone, you were there. You opened your heart to me and although it took me a while to find a balance again, your friendship saved me. You are my family and I love you with every little piece of my soul. I don't want to lose what we have built. I'm so afraid of losing you more than anyone else. I hadn't planned on falling in love but now it turns out that I should risk everything not knowing if it's going to work? Jo, I'm so deeply in love with you, there is no doubt about that, but honestly, I don't know if I can do that. The thought of losing you makes me lose my shit. I mean, it's easier to keep you as a friend instead of not having you at all."

The brunette reached out her hand and caressed her cheek with her fingertips. Hope couldn't resist and she closed her eyes, tilting her head to feel the warm touch.

"You are my family, too. You're never going to lose me. I promise," Josie whispered. And hearing Hope's breathing deepen, Josie added, with a emotionally smile, "You know, always and forever."

And then, in an attempt to giggle, there was a sob and a tear ran down the auburn-haired girl's face. She didn't want to, it just came out of nowhere. Or maybe because the relief she felt at hearing these words needed to be expressed like this to feel fair. In any case, so as not to alarm the brunette, Hope placed one of her hands on Josie's that was still on her cheek and tilted her head to bring their foreheads together. So through the momentary trembling, a loving smile appeared on Josie's lips. "Anch'io sono incredibilmente innamorata di te," the brunette added in one last soft whisper.

And after that, Hope fought against herself not to immediately reduce the last millimeters of distance that separated her from Josie's lips. I mean, it was obvious how much she yearned for her but she refused to act because she thought the girl deserved more than some stolen kiss. Is it wrong that she wants to make her best friend's first kiss special?

To avoid being tempted, the auburn-haired girl backed away from Josie. "It's getting late, I should go," she added after smiling at her.

The brunette cleared her throat. "You don't have to go. I mean... stay, if you want to."

Hope hesitated to accept. Not because she didn't want to stay (after all, she had already done it so many times that she had definitely lost track of her) but because at that precise moment the expectation of spending the night with Josie seemed different to her. They had just shared this significant moment, and besides, she couldn't resist staring at Josie's lips. Currently, shortening the distance between their respective mouths was her greatest temptation. The tension between them was intense and it really was as if an irresistible sensation embraced her hearts completely.

She clearly couldn't risk it.

"I wish I could, but auntie Bex is waiting for me."

After those words, the blue-eyed girl leaned down to kiss the brunette's cheek. Perhaps something a little closer to the corner of her mouth than she expected. Anyway, they both blushed.

Hope finally made her way to the door. Once out of the room, she took one last look at Josie to add "I love you."

Nothing else could have sounded so fair. So even after Hope left, Josie couldn't stop smiling. And it was like that until she finally managed to get to sleep.

The day had been very emotionally intense, but surely it had all been worth it because now they both knew for sure that neither of them had the intention of letting go of the other's hand. Not today, not yesterday, not tomorrow, not ever. And yes, it was the most important since it made them feel peace.

* * *

Her laughter could captivate thousands. This was the crux of Hope's thought as she watched a wet Josie laugh heartily. Josie's beauty in the sunlight took her breath away. And maybe it sounded strange, but now Hope really knew that what was happening to her with Josie was not something of the moment. The auburn-haired girl had felt it yesterday as if everything had always been hidden there waiting for her to notice and now that she was finally willing to accept it, she felt even more real in every beat of her heart. As if everything had happened for the better.

Today after school, Lizzie had taken them to the beach since according to her, the sunny day without wind announced the time to film the scene for the clip. So that's what they did. Upon arrival, the blonde had sent them swimming. Everything was calm until the brunette started splashing water on the blue-eyed girl. An action that quickly became a fun game in which both ended up wet to the bone. Of course, Lizzie, who had stayed in the sand, was very happy because the unexpected moment had allowed her to film a good take for the video clip.

Hope had been distracted so much that she didn't see Josie approach her with a confident smile on her face. It was only when it was too late, when the brunette grabbed her by the waist to throw her into the water, that Hope finally understood what was happening. Then, when she raised her head from the water, the first thing she saw were the bright eyes of her friend who was looking at her with amusement.

"Okay, you win, I give up."

Josie smiled even more as she helped her up. "Excuse me, can you repeat?"

"I say I hate you."

"Well, in that case..."

Only one last desperate "no" was heard as the brunette abruptly released Hope's hand and she dropped it back into the water.

Then Josie returned to the beach, a triumphant smile on her lips. Lizzie, who had been a witness to the entire scene, couldn't help but laugh out loud because she knew that Hope was already planning a future revenge.

Finally, seeing Hope come out of the water and come closer with a pout to her lips, clearly outraged by what she just went through, Josie handed her a dry towel in an offer of peace. Hope accepted it because she was freezing to death, but then she added, "You are not saved from this."

Lizzie couldn't stop laughing.

* * *

It was almost dusk when after taking Lizzie home, the other girls walked silently through the park in order to go to Hope's house. Also, it was about to rain, she could smell it in the air.

It was passing by the swings that Hope stopped and spoke. "It all started here for me."

Josie frowned. "What?"

Before continuing, Hope went to sit on her childhood swing.

"When I first saw you... I knew there was something special about you."

Josie smiled at her and walked over to reach the second swing next to Hope.

"You were alone, playing the guitar. I was wondering why no one spoke to a person as beautiful as you, why no one was caring about you... so I did. I thought it would help you if I did it to you, but now that I remember it correctly, the truth is that I was alone at that time too. I guess we saved each other."

"You know, don't laugh, but I think fate could have brought you to me. Because I couldn't have found a friend as magical as you without receiving help from some divine force. Someone who always makes me feel special and who cares for me so much? Well, it definitely seems like a dream."

A sweet smile touched Hope's lips as she tries to keep the laughter in her throat, adding, "Thanks God."

That's when it started to rain. Hope got up, looking at Josie with an amused look.

"Are you making fun of me?"

"Absolutely not."

The brunette looked up at the sky. "We should get going."

Hope walked over and held out her hand. "Reach my hand."

Josie accepted the extended hand and Hope took the opportunity to bring Josie closer to her. Their bodies came together, sticking against each other. Finally, in a last step, she put her hands around the brunette's waist. And for the second time today, they were both completely tied.

Meanwhile, with the closeness, Josie was getting nervous. "What are you doing? We're going to get sick."

In a gentle touch, the auburn-haired girl wiped a raindrop from her cheek. She then she left her hand there. "Do you mind if I kiss you first?"

Hope thought it was the right time to kiss her as they were in a romantic setting and the day had been perfect.

Josie realized that this was the long-awaited moment for her. The person she is deeply in love with was going to give her her first kiss. "I thought you were never going to ask me."

In a mutual agreement, Hope leaned in to close the gap between their respective mouths from her. She approached slowly until their lips touch in a warm touch. It was then that they both stopped thinking to feel, trying to memorize how magical it feels so as not to forget it.

They seemed a bit insecure at first but after a while, the doubts flew away and the kiss became more daring, more intense and deep. They were competing to see who had the softest lips. Josie's had a touch of paradise, since according to the blue-eyed girl they tasted like strawberry lip gloss and Hope's according to the brunette had an irresistible fruity flavor that gave it a certain softness. And now that they had tried it, they might never tire of kissing.

* * *

The two teenagers arrived at Hope's house wetter than the rain itself. They had run hand in hand to get back as quickly as possible, free from worry. There was a kind of euphoria in the air, light and love radiated from both girls. There was no one else home so Hope took Josie to the bathroom. In that place, she released her hand to turn on the tap. "You must shower before you catch a cold," Hope said turning to face the brunette.

She immediately blushed because Josie was already taking her clothes off. But afterward she began to remove hers too because she could no longer bear the wet fabric on her skin.

"You too."

"Go first, I can wait."

Josie disagreed with this. So when they were both in their underwear, she added, "Actually, I have a better idea."

And before Hope could even think of running away from her, Josie grabbed her hand and led her into the shower with her.

"What the hell are you doing?" She yelled at her in surprise as the hot water ran through her entire body.

They were facing each other, Hope's hands had reached Josie's waist in reflex.

The brunette smiled at her. "A smart way to avoid a debate about who should go when we can share."

And there the auburn-haired girl returned her smile in an intense grin of joy and amusement. Right before she leans in to kiss her again. They both smiled into the kiss with the inability to stop.

A few minutes had been enough to miss, to yearn for the familiar sense of satisfaction and pure magic that had struck them the first time. Then, it hardly took a second for the same feeling of home to fill their hearts as their lips danced together again in harmony.

They did nothing but steal a few soft kisses before finally turning their backs in a mutual agreement to find some privacy to bathe. Then Hope came out using a bath towel and went to get dressed in her room. Once in her pajamas, she went to bring one to Josie that she was waiting for wrapped in her own towel.

* * *

Josie and Hope were in the kitchen finishing preparing food when Rebekah returned from work. After removing her coat, the woman entered the kitchen and kissed Hope on the temple. She then, out of habit, did the same with Josie. "Glad to see you two around here again."

The girls smiled, fully happy. So much that the auburn-haired girl had tears in her eyes. Sometimes happiness can manifest itself like this. It is like an overflow of love inside that needs to express itself. It is as if the heart could smile too and the only way to see it was by reflecting through the mirrors of the soul.

Across the counter, Josie found that emotion was overwhelming Hope, so she grabbed her hand to show her that it was all real, that she could release excess emotions from her. For Hope, it was an immense relief. Hence, she raised her gaze to meet the brunette's. "I think I'm in love with you," she whispered through a loving smile.

Which made Josie laugh. It wasn't mocking at all, it was just a light, soft laugh, almost inaudible. In all likelihood, it was music to the ears. It was a fleeting moment, extremely fine. "I love you too, H."

Rebekah, who had seen everything from her position, sighed in satisfaction, "You two are so cute together."

The woman wams truly relieved to see her goddaughter so happy, to be a witness to how the girl finally seemed to have found a balance. She had seen her little girl so incomplete in these last months, with the dull smile and the eyes far from all brilliance that now it was really considerably appreciated to see her heart clean of love again, with very alive beats.

* * *

Later, after eating, the girls shared anecdotes in bed. After all, a year was a long time. There were a lot of calls during the separation, but there were still a lot of things to tell. Travel and distance always brought suitcases of different memories. Some more important than others, but in the end they all had details to give. From the happiest painting to the memory of darker times. But in any case, they both thought that every second would have been worth it if all that had brought them to this very moment.

Now, they could decree that today will undoubtedly remain one of their most exquisite memories. A memorable day that they will remember all their lives because they had lived it together.

Hugging each other, they both fell asleep with that positive thought.

* * *

The next day, the auburn-haired girl woke up with a tender pout on her lips. Of course, she was feeling herself in the right place. And by the way, she was smiling because she could smell the scent of orange blossom that enveloped Josie's dark hair. Her face already hidden in said hair, Hope sank further until she brushed the neck of her partner with the tip of her nose. Then, in one last impulse of affection, she touched her skin with her slightly parted mouth. It was just a soft touch but it just hit the brunette's pulse. Which made her wake up as a pleasant chill travels through her heart.

With her eyes still closed, a smile touched Josie's lips. Then, she wrapped her arm around Hope's waist, hugging her fully. "Hey you," she murmured.

Hope inhaled and exhaled peace before answering a simple "hi".

Then followed a time of silence, a time to just be and for both of them to enjoy each other's company and how good they felt to feel the closeness between their respective bodies. As if it was their hearts that were hugging. Love used to have such power.

Hope ended up whispering something that was barely heard. "Baby, you smell nice." Her voice was somewhat overwhelmed.

The brunette smiled for the thousandth time. "Umm?"

"Yeah." She paused. "You smell like spring. It's like a mix between flowers and fruit essences."

"Well, I used your shampoo."

"I bet it smells better on you than I do."

Josie giggled. "I assure you it is precisely the opposite."

Hope slid her head out of the brunette's neck to sit on the bed and shrugged her shoulders. "Well, I was just trying to be loving, but it doesn't matter."

Josie sat down too. Then she reached out for a lock of Hope's hair that made it difficult to see her eyes clearly, and she tucked it behind her ear in a sweet, flowing gesture. Thus, her initiative allowed her to caress her face along her jaw with her fingertips. Meanwhile, with a smile that adorned her lips, she thanked Hope.

Hope looked at her, raising an eyebrow as if she didn't understand why she was thanking her.

"Thanks for the compliment, I appreciate it."

In response, the blue-eyed girl leaned in to steal a kiss from her. Something short as if it was something that she has been doing every day for the last few years. It seemed natural, it seemed to be the right thing to do.

When she finally pulled away from her, she smiled heartily at her. "I couldn't wait to kiss your smile."

"Heads-up, I am irresistible in the dawn light."

There was a fun and relaxed atmosphere in the air.

"You are... you are so overjoyed" Hope said a giggle in her throat.

"Look at me, so you can check." She put her hand under her chin, her head is now in profile, tilting it skyward. She had her eyes closed and with a mischievous, full smile painted on, she added, "Where I am is exactly where the sun shines."

Hope smiled in amusement, gazing more intensely at Josie as the first rays of sunlight inevitably passed through the window to reflect several flashes of light in her dark mane. And yes, actually, come to think of it, Hope saw no objection to be made regarding how irresistible Josie was. Of course, if she had an angelic face.

"You would be my girlfriend?" The auburn-haired girl released without thinking twice.

And of course, Hope's gaze was overflowing with love at the greatest natural beauty of a newly awakened Josie that was stunned by her unexpected proposal.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: mention of homophobic parents.

Shocked by Hope's words, Josie lost all ability to think. She had dreamed of this moment for so long that now everything seemed too perfect to be true. She remained frozen for a few endless seconds, enjoying every breath that made her feel alive. Then the brunette finally spoke in an unsure voice. "What have you said?"

With sweet firmness, Hope did not hesitate for a second to repeat what she had said. "That if you want to be my girlfriend."

"But you..."

Hope interrupted her. "I risk it all because I love you."

She held the hand of the brunette, looking at her with eyes full of love. "I love you, Jo. And nothing else in the world matters right now," added the auburn haired girl with a smile adorning her lips.

It didn't take Josie longer to feel her heart melt with love. Carried away by emotion, she attacked Hope's lips with everything she felt. A kiss that said more in that moment than all the words she could have uttered.

From the beginning, she had tried to give Hope room for the girl to adjust to the new rhythm of her relationship, letting her take her initiative. But now, she could finally allow herself to be impulsive and initiate a kiss without fear that her partner would run away from her.

When they parted for breath, foreheads still touching, Hope giggled, "Well... that was, um... something." She raised her hand to caress Josie's cheek. "I assume it's a yes?"

The brunette gave her a half smile. "Let me think about it ..."

Hope's jaw dropped initially. Then she made an extremely indignant scowl on her lips. Hence, Josie couldn't resist stealing another kiss from her, whispering into the middle of it, "Well, I'd say it's a resounding yes."

She then she withdrew, sighing in satisfaction. But the blue-eyed girl immediately decided that it was not appropriate and went back to her, brushing her lips. "You better," she whispered confidently to her.

And once and for all, Hope brought her mouth back to the brunette's. She maybe she was already obsessed with how she felt by just touching the other girl's lips because she had never felt such love before. So much so that she was now as if she was really learning for the first time what it meant to kiss someone. Because according to her, a kiss should never count until there is magic. A kiss is not a kiss until it brings butterflies in the stomach. So since then only kisses with Josie had real value in her heart. The others were no longer more than a distant memory.

* * *

After kissing until their lips were deliciously sore, the girls decided to stay in bed and put "two moms under the same roof" on Netflix. They settled under the covers, cuddling completely. They were unable to leave the little bubble of happiness in which they had locked themselves. Obviously, looking at something while hugging was nothing new to them. What was new in the situation was the kisses that they stole from each other, be it on the lips, cheeks, forehead or neck. Yet in these intimate conditions, consent was always the first thing to check, what Josie had done before taking the first step. And now that she had received the positive response from Hope, she felt more free to bring her wishes to life. Therefore, not only for the brunette but for both, it was much more difficult to be interested in the screen because they were more aware of sharing their respective personal space. It's not that they didn't know it before, it's just that now they had finally accepted it and were more sensitive to each touch, each kiss, to the skin of one against the skin of the other. It was also not so strange that they feel some curiosity because one can assume that human beings have a certain curiosity or a hectic energy that pushes them to explore their surroundings.

However, when everything got too hot, the girls agreed to stop. They did not feel ready to have sex. Everything was new and even if it was tempting, they felt better slowing down.

So they returned to their starting position in an attempt to relax and pay attention to the television. Soon after, her nose on Josie's neck and her leg entwined with her, Hope fell deep back into the arms of Morpheus. When the brunette noticed it, she approached her as best she could and kissed her on the forehead. It was soft, somewhat protective. As if the girl were sacred, fragile as a butterfly's wing. Butterflies that have not stopped flying through her stomach since the day before.

* * *

Later in the day, the girls went to Switch On to organize with Lizzie and Jed in order to shoot the rest of the video clip. They decided to shoot the exterior scenes the next day and take another day for the other scenes.

After Jed was gone, Lizzie looked at her two friends, a half smile on her lips. "You both seem more joyful than joy itself. Come on, talk now."

Hope turned to Josie and smiled at her in amusement. "I think she thinks there is something."

Josie looked at her and smiled back, understanding everything. "Well, maybe we should... you know."

Lizzie crossed her arms, frustrated by the game her two best friends were playing. "I'm still here, huh."

Hope put her arm around her girlfriend's back and pulled her close to kiss her cheek. Close enough to her mouth that her gesture cannot be considered friendly. It was then that Lizzie realized. "God fucking dammit, you finally did it!"

Hope turned her attention to her friend with the inability to hide her amusement from her. "And what do you think I did?"

"You kissed her or she kissed you. How in the hell should I know? The point is that something happened and since you are both here... What can I say, girls? Finally! Now we are on the right track."

"Well you said it yourself months ago, we have to follow the heart no matter how risky it is. My feelings are real and I won't run from them anymore. With Josie, we decided we were going to try it together and make it work."

Right now, Lizzie felt like a proud matchmaker and she wasn't keeping it hidden. There was an obvious emotion in her voice. "Wait, so are you two?"

"Absolutely. Let me introduce you to my girlfriend," Josie stated, hugging Hope around her waist.

All three were smiling. There was like an atmosphere of sincere and contagious joy in the air.

"For real," Hope added, accepting the hug.

"I knew it was real, I knew it! See? I'm like Cinderella's fairy godmother. Without my master plan, you two would always be waiting, secretly loving each other. You should thank me for being so far-sighted."

When Lizzie finished speaking, the other two girls were already each on one side of her. Hope to the left of her and Josie to the right. And before Lizzie was aware of her, her two friends were already kissing her on each cheek, making her hiccup in surprise.

As they walked away, Josie and Hope glowed in all the natural light of the jewel called happiness.

Then suddenly Lizzie spread her hands and screamed. "I'm feeling like quite the matchma-"

But very quickly, the brunette put her hand on her mouth to silence her, looking at her as if she was out of control. Lizzie shrugged her shoulders and when Josie finally withdrew her hand from her, she added, "What? You two were the ones who wanted to surprise. I was just trying to serve."

"Oh, you should drop the case, sweetheart."

After the unexpected intervention of some voice behind her, the girls looked back. Penelope was standing there, looking at them with complete confidence. Obviously, because when it came to playing bad, Penelope was not only good, but she was the best. Although, of course, here, she was only playing some role in the joke. It was all pure fun and that is why the next minute, everyone started laughing.

When they finally calmed down, Penelope announced the real reason for her arrival. "Good news, sweethearts, you have an interview scheduled soon. We only have time to finish recording and release the song on all platforms. And since there is little left, I brought you the contract to sign. Obviously, Rebekah must sign it and Jojo's parents."

"Fuck!" Josie blurted out, making all of the heads turn in her direction.

Damn, why hadn't she thought about this problem before?

Josie left Switch On without further ado. Very quickly, without taking time to explain what had caused her to react in such a dramatic way. But of course Hope already had an idea about it. Then she followed the brunette's footsteps.

For nothing in the world would she let Josie be racked with anguish. She had to reach out and reassure her. Telling her that everything would be fine and that even in the worst case, she would be there to accompany her, that she would never allow anyone to keep them away.

"Jo, wait!"

Josie seemed not to listen, completely disconnected from the world around her. In fact, she was almost running, her eyes clouded with tears. This had nothing to do with sadness, it was only her fear that was currently driving her, crushing her chest, taking her breath away.

Hope managed to catch up her, "Jo..."

Josie suddenly turns to face her girlfriend. Tears were welling up in her eyes, there was ever more panic flickering. "I can't do that."

She could clearly hear her voice shaking from her. The blue-eyed girl tried to offer her help. She brought her hand to her cheek and spoke calmly to her. "Jo, it's okay. You don't have to handle this on your own. We can talk about it, find a solution together."

Josie placed her hand over Hope's on her cheek, closed her eyes, as if her simple gesture was burning her skin, accentuating her internal debate. "You don't understand, there’s nothing we can do."

A tear inevitably flowed. Hope wiped it off as soon as possible with her thumb. "What are you trying to say?"

Josie looked directly into her eyes and, as she removed both hands from her face, she responded in a cracked and almost inaudible voice. "You should go on without me."

This time it was Hope who paled. She couldn't accept that. She refused to back down when they had finally decided to move on. That's why she kept her haste on the brunette's hand, preventing her from running away from her before she can change her mind. "Please, don't do that."

"Do what?"

"Don't push me away. You promised me, Jo."

"That's not..."

Tears rose to Hope's eyes. "You can't ask me to fight for us and then run away when a problem arises. It's not fair." she said firmly although her voice was a little shaky.

"I'm not rejecting you. I just can't tell my father. I'm sorry. I can't do this without running the risk of losing you. If I tell him, I can already say goodbye because I know he will never let me be with you again. You have to sing without me, that's the only thing you can do."

"You and me, Jo. This is my reality. I can't imagine a dream come true without you. I thought we were clear by now. It's us against the rest of the world, remember? Please, trust me. I won't let anyone separate us, okay? Losing you isn't an option." Hope leaned closer, taking Josie's little face in her hands. Then she put her forehead against hers. "Hosie came to stay," she added.

Josie laughed through tears. "I'm screwed, right?"

The comment elicited pure tenderness from Hope, who laughed warmly before kissing her girlfriend completely. An impressive kiss that allowed them both to breathe again. Don't leave fear behind, but at least find the strength to face it.

* * *

After all that, the girls went straight to Josie's house. They had decided to take advantage of the absence of her father to speak first with the brunette's mother because they thought that Josette would be more tolerant of her relationship and that she would undoubtedly be a good ally against Alaric.

Along the way, Josie had thought that none of all the anguish she was feeling right now was right. Her heart and her head were screaming at her that she shouldn't have to go through there, that she should be able to introduce the person she loves to her parents without being afraid of being judged or feeling that she might disappoint them. She was aware that loving a girl didn't make her relationship worth less. Intolerance was the real problem. So it was the fear of not knowing how her family was going to react that drove her crazy.

Not because she was ashamed of who she was or who she loved, but simply because she knew that society did not accept things that did not meet her standards. Unfortunately for her, it turned out that her father was in this category. People don't like what is different. They doesn't like what doesn't fit, what is out of harmony with their definition of normality.

As for Josie, of course, it seemed really unfair to have to worry about society-rooted phobias in the face of difference just because they don't know that the difference can also be normality.

Josie's love for Hope is no different than her parents' love for each other. Despite all the prejudices, the only truth is that it is just a love like any other. If she had fallen in love with some boy, her feelings would have been no different. The gender of a person does not make her feelings more or less authentic, valid.

It's about HER heart. Besides her, no one else should be able to tell her who she can love and who she can't love. The two girls didn't hurt anyone by falling in love. The fact that they love each other does not change anything for others although everyone tries to pretend otherwise. It's just about them and the support and respect they share for each other. The will and need to love and protect each other. The desire to unite their two hearts into one. They are just two teenagers, two human beings who fell in love like any other person could have.

This is the matter. Love should never be seen as a problem. It is the judgment and hatred of others towards this love that should be considered invalid because it is this divisive mentality that brings pain and not two hearts beating for each other.

* * *

"Well, thanks for your honesty but I've known it all along."

Josie couldn't believe what she was hearing. She had come home with Hope earlier and asked her mother if they could talk. After they had settled into the sofa, an insecure Josie had taken Hope's hand in hers before announcing to her mother her relationship with the blue-eyed girl. Without knowing in the end that the woman would answer her with all serenity that it was not a secret. Then, with the relief that she felt, Josie began to cry. "How?"

"Oh, my beautiful girl," The woman got up to go sit next to her daughter and hug her as any mother should in this situation. "I will always be one step ahead because I am your mother, it is my job. I can see you, everything in you. And just so you know, because I am your mother, I love you and I always will, no matter what."

"Aren't you disappointed?"

"How could I be, sweetie? If what makes your heart beat is real, you shouldn't worry about disappointing me or anyone else. Because the important thing is you, your feelings. As long as you're happy, I'll be proud of you."

As for Hope, she had fallen silent. She wanted to give them time alone even though she was here. Meanwhile she allowed herself to think that if her mother was still alive, she would have wanted her to react as noble as a mother is supposed to. At the very least, the auburn-haired girl was genuinely grateful that her godmother had done it and relieved that Josette had taken the weight off Josie as well. Now only Alaric was missing to deal with.

"What about dad? What is dad going to say?" Josie asked in a cracking voice.

Josette hugged her daughter tighter, stroking her hair. She didn't want her to worry about her father. She wasn't going to let her husband be a problem. "I'll take care of it. YOU just have to worry about being happy."

"I'll take care of it," she couldn't resist saying Hope. She slipped away but not without blushing at the same time.

Josie's mother smiled at her with her typical motherly grin. "I don't doubt it, sweetheart."

Josie stepped away from her mom to kiss her girlfriend's cheek. She couldn't be more in love with her.

"I'm proud of you," Josie's mom added, looking at them. "You both."

* * *

The following days were relatively perfect for the two young women. As expected, they finished filming the missing scenes for their video clip with the help of Jed and Lizzie. They also spent most of their free time with Lizzie and Mg, who recently, like them, had started dating.

Not forgetting that they continued to attend their classes. When they went to music, they took advantage of it to teach their song to their teacher. The teacher had really been impressed with the depth of the work, falling in love with the lyrics. She had also taken the opportunity to give them some advice so that they could both use all of her vocal skills and adjust in certain parts of the song so that everything agrees.

As for Lizzie, she took the time to show her art teacher every work that she had started to create thanks to all the inspiration that her two best friends had given her lately. She received a couple of compliments and suggestions in turn.

It was mainly days when the girls were pretty busy, but they weren't complaining. They really loved every moment of every day. Especially if it meant being together and kissing over and over again.

Now that they were a couple and had nothing to stop their desire to share personal space, it was something they did sometimes until they forgot what it meant to moderate. They were just kisses and obviously they didn't do it all the time because they needed to breathe, but they still appreciated being able to lose themselves in the taste of each other's lips.

Despite their fear at first, their friendship was not affected at all. On the contrary, anyone could tell that they seemed closer than ever. Being girlfriends was probably the best thing that had happened to each of them.

For everything to do with Josie's father, nothing had been done yet. The man had gone on a trip for work, pushing back the conversation that Josette said she would have with him.

* * *

Returning home after a long day, Josie finally found her father in the kitchen. He was having a scotch, looking perfectly normal. At least that's what Josie was thinking until she pointed out her presence. Hearing his daughter's voice, Alaric tensed. And when Josie walked towards him hoping to greet him with a kiss on the cheek as she had always done over the years, the man suddenly got up from her chair and left the place without speaking a single word to her.

Josie knew immediately that her mother must have told her everything.

She expected her father to react in the worst way possible. In her expectation there was screaming from her father and she used to see herself cry. She was convinced that she would go to a fight with him, that there would be threats and morality lessons. She had imagined the most chaotic situations.

However, the reality turned out even worse.

Her grandmother always told her that silence can be the strongest, the worst punishment. Today, Josie was a witness to it. Because in her case, she knew that her father's silence showed that he was disappointed. He was deafening to the brunette, heavy. And if at least one thing was true about her predictions, it was her tears. A deafening cry like the pain in her chest.

Josie left the kitchen and locked herself in her room thinking that the moment when everything fell apart was also a great disappointment to her. She was deeply disappointed, disappointed by her father's reaction, by her father's own disappointment. She didn't deserve that her father rejected who she was. She didn't deserve to be treated as if she were a daughter who had committed a crime, because her love was not and never would be a sin.

* * *

After crying for what seemed like hours, Josie felt the need to call Hope. Not to complain, but to hear her voice.

"Hello, pretty little girl."

It was the first thing Hope said of her angelic voice, making the brunette smile. It was a discreet but sincere smile. She could live by this simple prayer. She reminded her that the love between her and Hope could never be equaled. And that was enough for her to have hope.

And those who have hope always find the light again.

"Hey, cuoricino," Josie spoke to her in a low voice.

A tone that may have melted the heart of the auburn-haired girl.

"My father came home and he already knows everything."

Hope took a deep breath before asking. "How has he been?"

"How about we put that aside for now? We can discuss it tomorrow."

"Yeah, right."

"For now, just hearing your voice would suffice."

"You want to talk?"

Josie sounded dubious on the phone, but she finally dared to ask Hope. "Actually, would you sing me a lullaby?"

"You want me to sing you a lullaby?"

"You know, just to calm the soul."

Hope was silent for a couple of seconds, wondering what she might sing to her.

"Please..."

"How about _**you mean the whole wide world to me**_ by Christina Perri?"

"I'm dying of love... and we both know it."

"Come on then, close your eyes."

When Josie's eyelids were closed, Hope began to sing. It was slower than the original song, like she was whispering it, but it sounded perfect.

**You mean the whole wide world to me**

Darling you mean the whole wide world to me  
Darling you are sweeter than I ever dreamed  
Darling you make me believe in make believe  
Darling you mean the whole wide world to me

What do I do with all this love for you?  
It's so much more than I ever knew  
Baby girl, it's bigger than the whole wide world

Darling you mean the whole wide world to me  
Darling you light up everyone you meet  
With a smile you give away so easily  
Darling you mean the whole wide world to me

What do I do with all this love for you?  
It's so much more than I ever knew  
What do I do with how I feel inside?  
If you ever wonder how much I  
Love you girl, it's bigger than the whole wide world

It's bigger than the whole wide world

At the end of the song, Hope waited a moment for Josie to speak, but the brunette didn't. She was already sleeping.

Then, just before hanging up, the blue-eyed girl whispered one last time. "Sleep well, my angel."

* * *

The next morning, on their way to school, Josie told Hope how her father avoided her like the plague that night. She also explained how this morning her mother told her to give the man time, that he would speak to her again when he will be ready.

Then the woman had returned the contract signed by both of them. A signature that at least meant there was still hope. That maybe one day her father could accept the situation.

Hand in hand, the girls entered the school's music class together. Today, the teachers will finally make the decisions for their final show of the year. Lizzie was confident they were going to be the winners, so who knows? Perhaps they would have another good reason to hold their heads high and a smile on their lips.


End file.
